


Coming Home

by rosedarkling



Category: Deep-Sea Prisoner, Mogeko, Okegom, funamusea, 廃れ夢 | Obsolete Dream, 海底囚人, 海底囚人 | Deep-Sea Prisoner, 灰色庭園 | Haiiro Teien | The Gray Garden
Genre: Angst, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Smut, Exploring Sexuality, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:14:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 40,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25842652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosedarkling/pseuds/rosedarkling
Summary: A life of suffering is all Ivlis has known for so many decades. Trauma has left him in despair many of times. Now - with the return of a long-ago friend/lover - his world is about to be turned upside down all over again.
Relationships: Ivlis/Rieta (Gray Garden), Ivlis/Satanick (Gray Garden)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 84





	1. Returned

Ivlis allowed his heavy eyelids to begin to droop as he found himself slightly sliding down on his throne. Today was another tiring day. Paperwork was not his strong suit, nor was dealing with others. He wasn’t much of a people-person – well, more specifically, a demon person. Raising his right arm to rest over his tired eyes, Ivlis let out a sigh. He sometimes wondered why he had taken on this tiresome role of being the ruling devil over this realm. Well, then again, he realized he had little choice in the matter….

Shaking off these creping thoughts from the past, Ivlis pushed himself up, placing his hands on the arms of the throne. He lightly shook his head, trying to truly dispel these tendrils of darkness that liked to torment him every now and then. Even after all this time, he realized he would never be able to stop thinking of his past. He once had a grand life living in that world – he had a family, love, sunshine. Now all he had was perpetual darkness and flames in this place.

Ivlis gripped at his head now, digging his claws into his dark gray and red-tipped hair. He hated this – how these thoughts of the past could easily sneak up on him like this. He hated that these days they seemed to be more frequent. If he had to pinpoint exactly when this all started, he wouldn’t be able to say; it honestly felt like this had been going on for eternity. Well, in so many ways, it had…ever since he had been cast out from his first ever home and the life he knew.

“Ugh, stop this,” Ivlis groaned at himself. Just how much more could he possibly take of this? Hadn’t he suffered enough over these decades? Was this really his punishment forever? First he had been cast out from the Sun World, then he had tried to take the powers from that devil of the Gray world, only to wind up having a good portion of his own powers drained. Worse of all, he was now the perpetual toy for two other devils ever since that incident in that other world. That white-haired devil Reficul had begun to “bully an airhead “ like him, only to soon become introduced to the worse devil of all – in Ivlis’s opinion. No, he did not like Reficul leading him around like some dog on a leash or leaving him in pain, but this other devil of the Pitch Black world was by far the worse. All Satanick did was torture him mercilessly. One day, Ivlis finally gave in to his demands, deciding that maybe sleeping with that man would help change things for him. However, it only made things worse. Now, he was nothing but a sex toy to be used and abused however the black-haired devil saw fit. Even now, he could clearly picture that smirk and those purple eyes that bore into him.

Before Ivlis knew it, he was digging his claws even deeper into his head, and he could practically feel the pinpricks of blood forming underneath his nails. Ivlis pulled his hands away to stare at his hands, not quite looking at them as he merely allowed the thoughts dark thoughts to slink back into his brain and heart.

“I hate this,” he whispered out loud, grateful no one else in the castle was nearby to hear him. After all, very few remained in this large place. Only Emalf, Poemi, and Licorice remained in this place with Ivlis. Licorice had come along thanks to Satanick’s constant sex, yet despite that, Ivlis was happy to have another child he loved. Four residents in this place wasn’t too bad in such a castle….

Down the depressing path, Ivlis realized that there should be more that lived here. One person was missing ever since the return home after being beaten in that Gray world. That horrible Reficul had cast away the one person that had truly been so loyal to him. The one person who had done so much for him – and not just in the realms of business.

“Enough!” Ivlis shouted out to the open air, pushing himself up off of the throne. He could already feel his anger growing – anger at himself for letting these self-deprecating thoughts drag him down into such a foul mood in his exhaustion, and anger at the horrible hand of fate that he had been dealt. Clenching his teeth and jaw, Ivlis swallowed back the lump in his throat as he stormed down the small steps that led up to his throne. As quiet as the room was, he could hear his own boots stomping down the red rug of the floor, past the flames flickering on the walls that illuminated this long hall. He had to get out of here. He needed fresh air to clear his head. Flinging open the doors to the throne room, Ivlis allowed the clicking of his black boots to drown out some of the noise that fuzzed in his head. Thankfully, it was late enough that he hoped that Poemi and the rest were in bed. He didn’t want to run into anyone at this point in time. 

As he walked down the hallway towards the front doors of the castle, a light knocking on that hard wood echoed out. Ivlis practically jumped at this sudden noise. His heart began pounding in his chest, as he feared what this could mean. Part of him was a bit miffed that someone was disturbing him so late at night, while the other feared just who could be on the other side of that door. He dreaded if it was someone else in this forsaken kingdom that needed a hand with some dispute, as he did not want to work any further than he had today. The anxious part of his brain told him to be on edge if the unwanted visitor could be Reficul or Satanick. No, surely not; Satanick didn’t knock – he just barged in like he owned the place. Reficul, then?

Wondering if he should just ignore the knocking and pretend that nobody was actually there, another knock told Ivlis that this visitor wasn’t just going to disappear so easily. Swallowing hard, Ivlis approached the door, his right hand on the handle. Steeling himself and silently praying that the uninvited guest was friendly, Ivlis flung the door open.

Nothing could have prepared him for the surge of emotions that suddenly hit him, practically wanting to toss him off balance.

Ivlis’s eyes widened as he stared at the woman in front of him. That long, strawberry blonde hair seemed to shine even in this perpetually dark world. The large, red ruby bow that held her hair into a side ponytail only seemed to match those deep, rose red eyes of hers. Her fair skin even seemed so bright in this dark world. She clasped her long, red claws in front of her, most of her hands being obscured by her long, detached sleeves. All her garments were adorned in such reds, burgundy’s, and maroons. Ivlis knew these colors oh so well. Decades had passed, yet the woman in front of him seemed as if she was still as loyal and poised as he remembered her. The tears that formed in her red eyes began to drip down her pale cheeks as she stared up into the golden eyes of her lord.

“Lord Ivlis,” Rieta began, letting her slight sobs hiccup in her throat, her chest convulsing as she tried to compose herself in front of this man. A man she hadn’t seen in ages; a man she dreamt of seeing after so, so long. Never would she have imagined this would be possible. Now, she knew that this was no longer a dream. The jumpy sensation inside her grew, and Rieta couldn’t contain herself any longer; she had to truly see for herself that Ivlis was real. With a loud sob, Rieta launched herself into his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Yes, he was tall compared to her, and she couldn’t help but find such joy in burying her face into his gray jacket with the gold buttons. Oh, how she dearly missed seeing even his clothes; she had almost forgotten what he looked like; that thought killed her inside. But now, she could know with absolute certainty that this man’s almost thin frame was genuinely real. She was home….

As Ivlis stared in wonder down at the top of Rita’s sun kissed hair, he felt like his own breathing had stopped. Rieta was here? She was…alive? The last time he had seen her, she had been put inside that horrible genie lamp, cast into the unknown. After so many years, he had not seen any trace of her, nor had he heard anything from her or about her. Rieta had disappeared thanks to that Reficul. Yet, here she was; she was definitely here, holding him tightly to her small frame as she cried heavily into his chest. Never had he seen her cry like this. Was she truly so happy that she was here? As Ivlis’s mind swirled with so many questions about where she had been, if she was hurt, and how she had gotten home, Ivlis found himself lifting his own arms up to wrap them around her upper body, holding her close to him. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm the emotions that had suddenly washed over him. He hadn’t known what to expect on the other side of his front door, but this unwelcome surprise had him feeling as if things would finally turn around in his favor – even if ever so slightly with the return of such a dear demon.

Rieta truly was a special being….

“Rieta,” Ivlis found himself whispering down on top of her head. “Welcome home. I’ve missed you.”

“Here,” Ivlis said, holding out a black, steaming mug of tea to Rieta. Even holding the mug by itself and not by the handle, the heat didn’t bother Ivlis. He was used to flames, after all.

With a soft smile, Rieta nodded her head, reaching out with both hands to take the mug from her master’s hands. “Thank you, Lord Ivlis,” she whispered out. She brought the mug to her lips, loving the way the steam hit her face. So warm and soothing. It was almost nice to be feel this type of warmth. She missed the warmth of this world. Even if it was dark and gloomy, this place was her home. Slight tears stung her eyes as she drank from the cup, letting the warm liquid soothe her as it traveled down her throat. Only the slightly warm tears that stung her eyes were in comparison to the chamomile tea that Ivlis had made for her. That thought alone of how he had brought her in so caringly into his home made her feel even more teary.

Ivlis must have noticed this, as he leaned forward, arms across his thighs so that Rieta could see his stare on her. He didn’t say anything, but Rieta could feel his questions already pouring out in the silence. Looking quickly at him, then back into the light colored liquid, Rieta took another sip. “It’s really good tea, Lord Ivlis. Thank you.” She wasn’t quite sure what to say in this moment, so she merely thanked him again. 

Ivlis let out a light sigh. “Rieta, it’s just tea. It’s nothing special.” Upon saying that, he could see her face droop a bit. Why was that? Had she not had tea in a long while? That thought alone pierced trough his gut. Just what had happened to her if she could enjoy something as simple as a cup of tea? “I – I’m sorry,” he found himself apologizing. He wanted to reach out and put a hand upon her knee – to offer some solace to her – but he refrained. After all, he didn’t want to push her into feeling uncomfortable.

Silence filled the air between them, and Ivlis felt the bit of awkwardness. It was so strange to see her after so long. He had truly missed her, yet it still felt so odd to have her in his presence once again. He honestly couldn’t tell how long it had been. It was like seeing an old friend – a happy feeling, but also one with mixed emotions. Was she really the same Rieta he had known from so long ago? She seemed to be with her manner of speech and actions. She was always so kind and loving to him – always there for him. Though, having her hug him and offer tears so easily had him a tad concerned.

Deciding to be bold enough to ask, Ivlis began, “Rieta?”

Her ruby eyes met his again, her ponytail swishing over her bare right shoulder. Attentive to his voice…just like in the past.

“Rieta, where…. Where were you all these years?”

Looking down a bit, Rieta remained silent as she thought. She soon whispered out, “I…I don’t really know, Lord Ivlis. I just remember…darkness.” She bit her lip as she spoke, and he could tell it was a bit painful for her to relive those memories. Now that part of him that wanted to reach out to comfort her really tugged at his heart; however, he controlled himself to not do so, lest he disturb her. He merely waited with knots in his stomach for her to continue; thankfully, she did.

“I remember…being trapped inside that…thing for so long. All I could see was darkness. All I could feel was the movement wherever I was headed.” She could recall hearing muffled noises and voices anytime the lamp was moved. Honestly, she had no idea how many times the thing had moved or where she had even traveled these years. All she could do was cry out, hoping someone could hear her and set her free. However, even if others had heard her, no one ever had let her out of that cramped, dark lamp. She recalled many times being curled into a fetal position, crying with her arms around her legs or hugging her shoulders.

 _Please!_ she remembered screaming in her mind so, so many times. _Please let me go home!_

That thought made her look up again into the questioning and confounded eyes of her lord. Finally, she had been set free. Finally, she was home. Before she knew it, warm, wet tears were sliding down her cheeks again. How she hated crying like this. She didn’t want to be the type to cry in front of her lord. She was supposed to remain strong for him; she was supposed to have been by his side all these years. Now, the tears of relief were also filled with regret – regret that she hadn’t been able to protect her lord from that woman who had done this thing to her. She could still see the placid look on that devil’s face – those red eyes and long, flowing white hair. Rieta shuddered at the thought of her, a bit of anger coursing through her already trembling body. A dissonance of emotions raced inside her as she felt so strange upon this return to this world she had once known and loved. 

She gasped when she felt Ivlis’s warm claw on hers. Looking down, she realized that his hand was now resting on hers as she gripped the mug tightly in her lap. She looked back into those golden eyes of his, an almost concentrated expression on his face.

“Rieta, it’s okay,” he assured her. “You don’t have to say anything else tonight. I’m sorry I upset you.”

Rieta's eyes widened. “N – No!” she insisted. “You didn’t do anything to upset me, Lord Ivlis.” She tightened her hands around the mug, worried she had caused him grief. She wanted to console him – for the trouble she caused now and for the time back then. How she wanted to know what that woman had done to Poemi, Emalf, and him once she had been cast aside in such an unusual manner. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask, but nothing came out, and she merely closed her lips again. Perhaps another time, she figured. After all, she didn’t want to upset her lord any more than she had.

Ivlis gently squeezed her claws with his, his eyebrows knit together in determination. He clearly had much more to ask her. She steeled herself, ready to respond to whatever her lord asked of her. After all, even if she hadn’t been present all these years, she still was ready and willing to serve.

“Rieta, I need to know. How did you get here? Who let you out of that lamp?”

Ah; she should have known that question would have arose. Of course it would have. It was only natural that such a thing would eventually be asked. Pressing her lips together for a moment – determining how best to say these next words – Rieta decided that no amount of preparing would soften the blow. The next name on her tongue would surely bring Ivlis only more pain.

“Igls,” she carefully said in a slow and steady tone. Even without his hand tensing, she could see Ivlis’s body clearly do so. “Igls helped me return.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, hey, hey! I am now back with another new fic. The ones I still have yet to finish will be finished. So sorry for the wait! m(＿＿)m
> 
> But! I wanted to explore the idea of Rieta returning home and how Ivlis will cope with all of this, along with how Rieta and the other devils and demons cope, as well. I do hope you can enjoy this new roller-coaster work! 
> 
> I have sooooo many works planned for other characters, and more Sataivlis coming soon, too - oneshots and the little sequel to Why? So, I hope you enjoy this crazy ride of fics. Thank you all for the love and support! <3


	2. Savior

_Rieta hugged her knees to her chest, tightly wrapping her arms around her legs. She could feel the hot tears becoming cold on her cheeks. No matter how many times she cried, it honestly didn’t feel like it did her any good. She was truly never going to get out of this prison, was she? This confined, dark lamp was now her forever home thanks to that devil. Never again would she be set free. Never again would she feel the warmth of the Flame Underworld that she called home. Never again would she hear the childish voice yet see the demonic nature of Poemi. Never again would she reprimand Emalf for slacking off on the job or failing his missions. Never again would she see the narrowed eyes of Ivlis as he ordered his comrades around. Never would she see those same golden eyes downcast, alone in the solitude of his room…where only she saw how hurt he was from memories of the past._

_Yet again, thinking of her own past and home, Rieta’s pain only continued to pour out more tears. No longer did she care that her eyes hurt from years of crying; the rawness only helped her feel something else besides her inner agony. Just how long was she going to be in this horrible place?_

_“Please,” she found herself whispering out loud, sniffling as she allowed this anguish to build up. It soon bubbled over – as it always did these days – into a full blown plea. “Please!” she cried out, her voice echoing back to her. “Anyone! Please let me out!” As her voice choked up once more, she whispered out yet again, “Please,” as her sobs continued._

_The incredibly bright and warm light of the Sun World lighted upon the angel’s pale blonde waves as she turned on her heel, her thigh-high black boots lightly crunching in the sand. A warm breeze blew past her, ruffling her long waves and feathery wings. Despite her eyes closed, she could see quite well – after all, her lord had made her this way. Her eyes shone with a brilliance that would cause anyone to see them deep harm. This was just another testament to Lord Siralos’s greatness. She was a fierce warrior when needed, and she would do all she needed to protect this beautiful world she lived in. Her utmost fealty was towards her dear father and creator. Speaking of, she realized that she would be late to meet with him if she did not get moving. Just what had she heard that had caused her to stop in her tracks? With a slight sigh at letting herself become so distracted, Igls Unth turned on her heel once more to continue forward to the palace._

_“Please!”_

_There it was again – that faint plea for help on the wind. Igls knew for sure that she had heard it this time. Was a resident in peril? Igls knew that it was extremely rare that a conflict ever occurred in this world of light, yet it was her duty to make sure that no harm came to anyone. Steeling herself with confidence, Igls turned around once more and began walking in the direction of the faint cries of a woman. Surely Lord Siralos would not mind her being a bit late in order to protect the peace in his kingdom._

_Igls continued to walk past the barren landscape of sand that seemed to stretch on for miles upon end. Pretty soon, she knew she would reach the edge of the world. Just what could a citizen be doing all the way out here in such a deserted part of the world? Yes, she herself was out here, but only on her normal rounds and duties to make sure all was well in the kingdom. For someone else to be all the way out here was surely dangerous for them. As the bright orange and yellows of the sun-filled sky shone down upon her, Igls didn’t mind in the least. After all, she was an angel of light – all beings needed this light to survive and thrive. How wonderful that Lord Siralos had given them such warmth. As she walked, Igls couldn’t help but be reminded of her lord and her faithfulness to him. Yes – all was for him; she would protect this world and all he loved to the very end._

_As she traveled, Igls soon realized the voice and sobs were getting louder and louder. If it weren’t for this barren landscape, she would not have even noticed the red-colored object that stuck out of the pale sand like a sore thumb. Titling her head slightly, Igls made her way over to the object a bit cautiously. She had never seen anything like this before, though she understood what it was. Why was a genie lamp all the way out here in the desert?_

_Crouching down, she could hear the light cries of that voice coming from inside of the object. So, this was the source of the distress. Kneeling down - her boots in the sand with how tall they were up to mid-thigh - Igls reached out a black-gloved hand to touch the handle of the lamp. Her eyes almost flew open in defense when she felt the dark energy coming from the item. Keeping her long lashes down on her pale cheeks, Igls breathed steadily to calm her pounding heart. She knew that this aura was familiar; it was that of a devil – a powerful one at that. Whatever being was inside this lamp could be a possible threat, though the voice sounded genuine enough. However, Igls could not risk having something like this in their world. Still kneeling in the sand, Igls focused her energy to allow her magic to flow through her, summoning both of her long, golden swords, crossed in front of her with the hilts facing downward._

_Deciding what was the right thing to do, Igls weighed her options. Naturally, it would be simple enough to dispose of this lamp and creature forever with a simple stab of her swords. However, if an innocent person was trapped inside, she could not allow harm to come to them. Conflicted on what was the proper thing to do in this strange situation, Igls opened her mouth to begin to question the being inside of the lamp, hoping it would hear her. However, the name Igls faintly heard being cried out had her freeze in her tracks._

_“Lord Ivlis….”_

_That voice._

_Now Igls knew; she had not heard that voice in such a long, long time – a lifetime ago, in human terms. But she could remember this female’s voice. She could remember how she used to appear when living in this world. She could recall other beings that surrounded both her… and the one other being that was created right alongside her. She was born from Lord Siralos’s light, and her other half was born from his flame._

_Ivlis…._

_Igls was unsure what to feel in this moment. Lowering herself into a seated position on the sand, she uncrossed her weapons, placing them down at her sides as she contemplated what all of this meant. Rieta was somehow back here in the Sun World, trapped inside this thing. But why? Clearly, it was the work of some dark being. Upon that thought, Igls tried to sense what type of magic this was. After a few moments, she decided that this was one not made with flames….This couldn’t be the work of her younger brother. Well, she was only older by a few mere milliseconds since Siralos created the two of them._

_Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Igls glanced down with closed eyes back at the lamp. Rieta’s light sobs still continued, among the occasional sniffle and mumble of words Igls couldn’t quite make out. Despite knowing her, Igls was unsure whether to set this being of flame free from her prison. After all, if an unknown devil had clearly placed her into this predicament, it must have been for a good reason._

_So, then…why did Igls feel her heart ache hearing the cry of Ivlis’s name on this old “friend’s” lips?_

_“I just want to go home,” Rieta pleaded yet again. “Please. Anyone. Help me.”_

_Igls couldn’t help but feel that Rieta was speaking directly to her now, even though she knew this could not be possible. Pursing her lips slightly to steady her somewhat muddled thoughts, Igls decided on the one thing she could do._

_Summoning back her swords into merely light fragments that soon vanished, Igls reached out, pulling the lamp from its sandy confines. Even with her black gloves, she could still feel the grit of it within between her fingers and the lamp. Rieta must have felt the movement, as the voice inside gasped out in a fearful tremble. “W – Who’s there?!”_

_Igls did not immediately answer. Instead, she focused all of her attention and power on this lamp. Even touching it felt horribly wrong, as Igls could feel the dark energy emanating from it onto her hands. She felt sick by such a thing; a being of light should not be around such darkness. Thankfully, the many, many suns and light of Lord Siralos’s world would provide her with all the strength she needed. Refocusing, Igls took a deep breath in before exhaling lightly through parted lips. As she did, she sent a blast of power coursing through her being, into her fingertips, and straight into the fragments of the lamp. At first, she met with some resistance to this – the devil who had put this curse on the object clearly knew what they were doing. Still, Igls pushed back with her light; at least this was merely an object and not the actual devil she was contending with._

_Hearing and feeling the first cracks of the lamp breaking between her fingers, Igls released it at just the right moment, pulling herself away from the shattering item. Gracefully, she rose to her feet as the demon before her tumbled out in a mixture of darkness and light._

_Sure enough, Igls was right; the being inside was one she recognized, still clothed in red with that long, strawberry blonde hair._

_Rieta first felt the movement of the lamp as she sobbed to herself. Startled, she immediately unfurled herself into a somewhat sitting position, placing her palms and claws against the top of the lamp. “W – Who’s there?!” she managed to squeak out, hoping that whoever had her in their possession would finally be the one to set her free. Wishful thinking at this point, she knew, but she couldn’t help but feel that tiny bit of hope spark inside her broken heart. Hope always came back to her each time someone came along, but it always ended in disappointment. Maybe - just maybe - today would be different...._

_As she sucked in a breath to speak, she felt the darkness swirl around her slightly stronger for a moment. Gasping at this thick darkness, Rieta feared that whatever was happening was now going to be her final demise._

_Trying to prepare for this inevitability – squeezing her eyes shut tightly as memories of those she dearly missed flashed through her mind – Rieta was once again dumbfounded when she felt this same darkness now being swept away in a comforting and almost familiar feeling. As she opened her eyes to see the first few cracks of light, Rieta’s heart began to pound strongly in her chest as she felt the breath leaving her lungs._

_Was this really happening?_

_Was she finally getting out of here?_

_The shock of all of it had Rieta unsure what to feel or do. She was thrilled to be free, but would she be in a safe place? Was the savior going to be friendly or cruel? What was she going to do now that she was no longer trapped? The myriad of emotions and uncertainty left Rieta speechless as she found herself almost expanding as her eyes first landed on pale sand, soon meeting it face first as her front and partial right side hit the somewhat soft ground._

_Solid yet gritty ground. As Rieta lie there in momentary surprise and a bit of pain – she hadn’t even realized how achy her body was from being confined for so long – she couldn’t help but be relieved to finally see, feel, and even smell this hardness beneath her. Letting the joy sink in for a moment, Rieta had to remind herself that with freedom, there could be a catch. Fearing what she would see when she turned around onto her elbows, Rieta’s eyes widened when she saw the tall and stoic beauty in front of her – not only the angel, but the bright world from long, long ago. Traveling up the length of those tall black boots, olive green military style jacket with gold accents and buttons, all the way up to the sunburst orange and yellow halo that hovered over her head, Rieta knew right away who she was staring at._

_“I – Igls? Igls Unth?” Rieta whispered out. Using her claws to push herself up into a sitting position, Rieta was unsure what to say or do at this point in time but to say the angel’s name aloud, as if to solidify that this was reality. The angel did not say anything, nor did she open her eyes – that was to be expected from her – but Rieta knew she was gazing at her with just as much confusion as she herself felt._

_Before she could say anything else, despite not knowing what to say, Rieta heard the docile yet commanding tone of a voice that she had not heard in such a long, long time echoing across the flat land. To this day, that tone gave a slight chill down Rieta's spine. How could such a "loving" being be so cold in those presumably friendly words?_

_“Igls? Where are you?”_

_Igls swiveled around in the direction of the voice; she had completely forgotten she was supposed to meet with Lord Siralos. How could she have been so forgetful to obey her lord?! Upon realizing that Siralos was outside – calling for her, his voice getting closer – Igls turned to face Rieta once more. The angel’s face did not hold a sense of panic, but Rieta felt as if she was in a predicament of her own. Rieta had now stood up, feeling her legs stretch to their full potential. She stared up at the angel, wondering what was to come. After all, she was an angel of this realm, and Rieta was a demon. She had chosen her place to remain by Lord Ivlis’s side when he was banished from this cruel man’s presence. What would this sun god think to see her here after all of these years? The logical conclusion Rieta figured was death._

No _! she protested in her mind. She could not risk dying now…not after all this time. Freedom was now within her grasp…._

_Rieta began, “Igls, please don’t – “_

_As Rieta flew through the air, she realized she was shoved far away by a surge of magic. Her feet left the ground, and before she could comprehend what was happening, she was falling over the edge of the plain. Despite it all happening so fast, Rieta felt time move so slowly as her eyes met Igls’s closed eyelids. A remorseful yet calm expression knit the angel’s eyebrows as she allowed Rieta fall. As Rieta’s stared at her in trepidation, she noticed the tiniest smile on Igls’s lips. The angel raised her right index finger to her lips, as if to notify Rieta about being quiet. Confused, fearful, yet also thankful, Rieta allowed herself to fall through the air to the world below. The horrible sensation of her entire body dropping at such a rate left her feeling incredibly anxious…yet she closed her eyes, praying that the angel had spared her from a fate worse than death._

_As Rieta disappeared from sight, Igls let out a small sigh of relief. She had gotten rid of the demon before Lord Siralos arrived. He was still not visible over the horizon, as she turned to look over her shoulder. As she took a moment to breathe, Igls tried to reason within herself about what she had just done. Someone who had betrayed this world to follow her downcast brother had somehow returned to this world, albeit it in a very unique fashion. Normally, traitors would be punished. Yet...Igls had spared this demon; she had even expelled her from this world, essentially sparing her from the hands of her lord._

Just what have I done? _Igls questioned herself. Was she a horrible servant to her lord now that she had gotten rid of a demon that could have easily been dealt with? Still – despite this odd turmoil in herself – Igls could not help but feel as if she had spared this woman. To be trapped in that lamp…just how long had it been for her?_

_The crunch of Lord Siralos’s long boots alerted Igls to his presence before she took notice of him. Taller she might be, but Igls always looked up to this man. He was her creator and father, and she would reverence him with all her being. He had given life and light to this world – and to her. Siralos stopped where he was, only a few feet from where Igls stood. A slightly confused expression with a raised eyebrow was her greeting. His orange eyes behind his red-rimmed glasses shone just as bright as the inside lining of his beige cape that was draped around his shoulders._

_“Igls, dear,” Siralos began. “I thought you were on your way to meet me. Is everything alright?”_

_Igls gave a steady and curt nod. “Yes, Lord Siralos; everything is well. I was merely making my rounds and got sidetracked. My apologies.” Oh, how she hated to tell these half-lies to her master! Despite it being true – that she did in fact get distracted on her rounds – she could not help but feel disgusted with herself that she did not tell him all of the facts._

_Nevertheless, it appeared as if Siralos did not notice anything amiss by her behavior, and he merely smiled. Holding out his left, white-gloved hand, he openly invited her to return with him. “It is alright, Igls. Come on; we have business to attend to, I’m afraid.”_

_A silent nod confirmed Igls acknowledgement to her lord, and she began following him as he led the way back in the direction of the castle. As they walked in silence, Igls couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder one last time over the barren land and edge; no trace of Rieta remained. Perhaps this was for the best, she determined._

_After all, thinking too much of the past would do no good to her at this point in time. Her mission was to do as Lord Siralos commanded; that was all she needed to live a happy, quiet life._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like Igls's character design, and I had fun writing for her. I hope to see more of her in the future DSP works, and I look forward to exploring her more in my writings. :) <3


	3. Surprise

_“When I woke up, I was here in the Flame world.”_

Rieta’s words echoed in Ivlis’s mind as he stared out his bedroom window, resting his left palm against the cool glass. Well, as cool as it could get in this world of heat. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn’t find the peace he needed to sleep. How could he when he had just been told this fantastical story from a demon that had literally fell from the sky back into his life. Reality showed that this was, in fact, no story. Rieta was truly here in this world once more, and she had gotten here thanks to the help of Igls Unth.

Remembering his other half, Ivlis felt his chest tighten up. He used his right hand to clutch at his jacket, hoping that squeezing at the fabric would help ease some of the tension he felt. He had not seen his sister in decades; he could barely remember how she looked anymore, though he knew one thing about her would never change – the way she shined. The last time he had spoken to her, she had reprimanded him for questioning Lord Siralos’s ways. Igls had warned him that this would lead to nothing but error on his part…and she was right.

Ivlis found himself sliding to the floor now, his legs out to his side as he sat in front of the wall. Placing his hands on the wall, he dug his nails into it, not caring if he made markings on it at this point. His teeth were gritted as he tried to take raspy breaths through them. His eyes narrowed as he choked on his emotions. It wasn’t Rieta’s fault that she had told him who had helped her out – he was the one who had asked, after all. Still, to hear about Igls made him only relive the last few days before he was banished. Even worse, Rieta briefly had stated Igls had apparently rushed to cast her away since Siralos was coming.

Siralos-sama….

Ivlis now grunted as he felt himself beginning to sweat as tears strung his eyes. What a horribly, nauseating feeling this was! Even just the slight mention of Siralos left Ivlis feeling wracked with pain all over again. Sure, it had been such an exceedingly long time since he last saw Siralos – no thanks to that Satanick and his embarrassing display in front of that devil and god of the Gray World – but the nightmares and memories of his own creator and father berating him and rejoicing over the fact that he had gotten rid of such trash like him only made Ivlis re-experience the horrors. Banishment and humiliation now left him feeling crippled once more. Thankfully, he had dealt with this day upon day that he knew this crushing spell would pass. However, it still did not make it any more pleasant to feel such illness grip at his heart, choke him, and burn his eyes with unshed tears.

“Ugh,” Ivlis groaned, dragging his nails down the wall; at least this was a solid thing he could hold onto while he decayed in his own feelings. Curling himself into a ball of sorts, Ivlis placed his chest upon his knees as he hugged his arms around himself tightly.

“Go away,” he groaned to himself. “Go away.” Surely this mantra would help the thoughts stop soon enough.

As he lie on the floor in this somewhat fetal position, Ivlis knew that that was a lie....

Of course it never got any easier.

Ivlis cracked opened his eyes, feeling the crust of his dried tears breaking open. His body ached, and he could see why – he had fallen asleep on the floor in such an awkward position. Unfurling himself, Ivlis groaned at the aches he felt, but he was at least grateful to get the blood flowing back to his extremities. As he sat up, he rubbed the back of his neck, hoping to ease the stiffness there. That’s what I get for falling asleep on the hard floor, he supposed. At least he had been able to sleep a bit – it had been a saving grace that rest had come to him during such a troublesome moment. Shaking his head to avoid thinking of it any further, Ivlis stood up, readjusting his clothing. As he stretched to get his body working for him once more, he turned to face a nearby mirror over his vanity table. Ivlis walked over to it, staring at his own reflection. He didn’t look any worse for wear, though he realized he should probably get rid of the dried tears.

Sighing, Ivlis turned to head out of his room and down the hall to the bathroom. Running the cold water in the sink helped steady his mind and snap him awake as he splashed his face with it. Turning the knobs to stop the flood, Ivlis hung his head, allowing the droplets to fall from his face and pieces of his hair that had gotten in the way. Yes, sleep had been a great time to ease his mind, but he still was feeling a bit confused and uncertain. Had yesterday been just a fabrication of his mind? He lightly shook his head at such a silly thing – of course it was real; he had shown Rieta to her room last night, revealing that it was left untouched since the day she had disappeared. Seeing such a surprised and almost heartfelt look on Rieta’s face left Ivlis feeling strange. He simply wished her a good night to let her get settled in as much as she could. Now that he thought about it, was that really okay to do after such a harrowing experience of hers? He now felt a bit guilty about leaving her like that. Sighing at his lack of carelessness, Ivlis supposed it was time to visit Rieta. Soon, Emalf and Poemi would need to see her.

Grabbing at a nearby towel on a hook near the wall, Ivlis patted his face and hair dry, fixing himself up as much as he could to look half-way decent. He exited the bathroom, now making his way back down the hall and past his room to Rieta’s. He didn’t hear any movement in her room, so he assumed she must still be sleeping. Raising his right hand, he rapped lightly on the door with his knuckles, awaiting a reply. As he waited, a part of him feared that perhaps she had disappeared once again. That thought left a knot in his stomach while simultaneously dropping it out of his body. Thankfully, the minor panic disappeared as he soon heard rustling behind the door, followed by the knob turning and the door opening with a slight clacking noise.

Ivlis stared at her for a moment, trying to process what he was seeing. Rieta had her hair fully down instead of in her usual side ponytail. With it draped behind her back and some strands hanging down in front of her face, he noticed just how long it truly was. Perhaps it had grown after all these years? He shook those thoughts away, realizing he just rarely saw her with her hair down like this; only at night she must let it down, he concluded. Did she always do this? Not being able to remember left him feeling a bit disillusioned, though he shrugged this off for the time being. 

He now turned his gaze to her eyes, and he could see from the small, darkish hue underneath her slightly puffy eyes that she must not have slept well; that, coupled with crying. Holding back the urge to frown, Ivlis asked, “Rieta, are you feeling well this morning?” The small smile on her lips helped ease some of his concerns.

“Yes, Lord Ivlis, I am fine. Thank you for asking. What can I do for you, my lord?” The way she straightened up immediately from her slightly relaxed position was further proof that she was as loyal as ever.

Shaking his head, Ivlis simply stated, “It’s nothing in particular. I just thought…you should see everyone.” He paused a moment to let his words sink in, and he watched her eyes light up a bit at this. “I think Emalf and Poemi will be thrilled to see you.”

Rieta nodded, her long hair moving slightly around her shoulders. “Yes, Lord Ivlis. I will go get ready.”

Ivlis nodded in reply. “Okay. I’ll gather them in the living area. There’s also someone else I want you to meet.” He saw her question yet intrigued eyes glance at him a moment more before she gave a polite smile, closing the door once more to get herself prepared. As the door finally shut, Ivlis let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding in. Part of him felt elated at the idea of Poemi and Emalf getting to see their long-lost comrade finally returned, but another part of him was a tad nervous at introducing her to the newest member of his family. Not that he feared how his son would react to Rieta, or vice versa; he simply did not know how to explain he had another child while she was gone.

What does it matter? he thought to himself.

As he turned on his heel to walk down the hallway to find the castle’s residents, Ivlis still could not help but feel a bit apprehensive on how to approach these reunions and meetings. After all, this area of dealing with others was not his forte.

Poemi sat on the edge of the sofa, wiggling her legs back and forth. The thumping of her red shoes kept a steady and almost annoying rhythm. Ivlis sighed at this as he reclined in the seat across from the three he had gathered. “Poemi, can you please stop that?” His words might have been soft, but his tone was a bit snide. He could see that last night’s odd sleep was finally catching up to him. 

“But, Papa,” Poemi whined. “You told us to wait here for the surprise. Poemi’s tired of waiting!”

Ivlis sighed. This child could be quite the handful at times. Sure, she was old enough to take care of herself – and she did a great job with fighting and defending – but she was still very immature and childish, to say the least. Shaking his head, Ivlis simply ignored her whines, focusing on the demon sitting to Poemi’s left. Emalf was always a faithful demon in Ivlis’s inner circle, even if his appearance and nature came off as aloof. He simply reclined on the cushions, occasionally staring off into space – or so it appeared; it was difficult to tell when he constantly wore those dark shades even indoors. His red claw-like fingers fiddled with the gold earrings on his left horn to occupy himself. 

Ivlis then gazed over to the “newest” member of his family, who sat next to Poemi’s right. He sat calmly, hands gripping onto the sofa cushions lightly as he simply stared at Ivlis. The young boy with large yellow-orange eyes was always focused on his mother. In his child form, Ivlis had to admit that his son was quite cute. If anything, it made him happy to have him around, awkward as he might be around the boy at times. Ivlis merely gave a small smile to Licorice, who gladly returned it with a small one of his own.

The sound of soft footsteps across the marble flooring had the demons and head devil turning to face the open archway to see who their new guest was. Ivlis sat up, soon pushing himself up with the aid of the arms of the single-seater sofa. The small figure of the red-dressed Rieta was surely going to be quite the surprise.

As if right on cue, once Rieta entered their line of sight, Poemi and Emalf audibly gasped. As Poemi screamed out her name, Emalf lightly whispered out, “Ef, man; she’s alive!” as he slid his hand off of his horn to push himself up. Not that Ivlis could blame him for that; he himself had vaguely similar thoughts when seeing Rieta for the first time last night.

Poemi launched herself off of the couch and over to Rieta, flinging herself into the woman’s arms. Rieta stumbled back a bit at this, her ruby eyes enlarged at such an enthusiastic welcome from Poemi. The child’s red claws tightly gripped at her skin as she hugged her around the waist, but Rieta didn’t seem to mind. After the initial shock of such a greeting wore off, she gladly returned the hug, a small smile creeping onto the corners of her mouth.

Rieta was amazed that the demon had so graciously greeted her. Yes, they had all been comrades and practically family back in the day, though Rieta could be a bit “bossy” towards the others. It filled her with a strange, almost out-of-body sensation to be so easily accepted once again into this fold.

Poemi finally pulled her face from being buried into Rieta’s silken pants to gaze up at her with large reddish-orange eyes. Her ridged tail practically swished through the air as the girl gleefully called up to her, “Welcome home, Rieta!” Such simple words, but ones that Rieta found left her eyes becoming misty. She did not want to cry in front of them like this – she wanted to remain strong like in their memories of her. She swallowed back the emotions the best she could as she gazed down at Poemi’s toothy grin.

Yes.

Perhaps she really was home; where she belonged. 


	4. Vulnerability

Rieta ran her claw-like fingers through Poemi’s light-colored locks as the demon giddily hugged Rieta. It pleased her to see that the girl was happy to see her. Even after all this time, such a warm welcome felt like a lifetime ago of not seeing one another. Happy to reunite, but also feeling a bit stifled with such attention, Rieta allowed Poemi’s twin tails to slide through her fingers as she patted her on the head between her curled red horns. “Poemi, I’m glad to see you, too. Truly.” Without the hint really reaching the demon girl’s brain, Rieta gently put her hands on Poemi’s shoulders to pull back from her a bit. The girl soon let go, not minding having to give the older demon more space. Ecstatic, yet somewhat still respectful – Rieta was glad to see that Poemi had not changed much. Though, she did appear to be a bit calmer than when they had last been together. Rieta had to remind herself of just how much time had gone by.

To help ease her mind, Rieta decided to tease Poemi a bit. Plus, it was a good way to learn more about how much truly had changed. “Poemi, you seem quite cheerful these days. Are you keeping up with your play toys?” She watched to gauge the girl’s reaction from her facial expressions. Slightly confused, Poemi’s face soon lit up with recognition as she gave another toothy grin with her pointed teeth.

“Oh, that? Yeah, Poemi doesn’t play much with those types of toys anymore. The dungeon is too dreary anyway.”

Rieta raised an eyebrow at this. How odd that the girl no longer seemed to have such a desire to play with others and torture as befitting a demon. “Oh, is that right? No slaughtering for you?”

“Poemi doesn’t need to slaughter all the time now. No biggie.” The petite demon shrugged to accentuate that this stuff no longer mattered to her. Rieta turned her face towards Ivlis – who still stood by the chair he had risen from – simply returned the shrug. Time really had seemed to change quite a few things, had it not? 

The bit of movement in front of her caught Rieta’s attention again, and she now focused on Emalf. Still the same as always, she could see with the way he casually stood there, his claw-like hands in the pockets of his black and red pants. Even the shades that he always wore were still present over his eyes, though, she could see he had lowered them down on the bridge of his nose, as if to really get a look at Rieta. Those amber eyes were truly something to see since they were so rare to ever get a glimpse of.

“I can’t believe it, man,” he whispered out – still as laidback as ever. “You really are alive, Rieta.”

Rieta couldn’t help but give a little smirk at that comment. She missed this blockhead; she could see that now. He could be quite annoying at times with his lackadaisical attitude, but distance makes the heart grow fonder; that was the saying, wasn’t it? “What? You thought I’d die so easily, Emalf? What do you take me for? You?”

The demon’s mouth gaped open a bit as he tried to form some sort of coherent reply to Rieta’s scathing tease. Rieta couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, raising a hand over her mouth to hide her amusement. The laughter of Poemi was a dead giveaway to the pierced demon that this was meant as a jest at him, and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck, though a slight huff of a chuckle slipped past his lips. “Y – Yeah,” he stuttered out. “I suppose you’re much stronger than I imagined, Rieta.”

At the mention of strength, Rieta gave it no more than a passing thought. She had noticed her powers and strength had seemed to dwindle thanks to being stuffed inside that lamp. She questioned if she would be able to get her full strength back to where it once was, or if there were still limits now set upon her thanks to that curse. She had not really given it much thought until now. That would have to wait until later to process, she determined. Right now was not the time to be thinking of only herself. Yes, right now was the time she needed to become re-accustomed to her fellow comrades.

A flicker of movement on the sofa had Rieta’s ruby gaze now turning to a child – one that she was unfamiliar with, but one whose looks were almost…familiar. Turning her gaze away from the boy, Rieta looked at Ivlis – who now was staring at her. He had noticed her staring at this child. If she didn’t know any better, Rieta could swear she saw a slight twitch near Ivlis’s right eye and a slight movement to his mouth, as if he had swallowed. She found it a bit strange that Ivlis would appear nervous to introduce the newest castle resident, though…she suspected she knew why he was a bit on edge. Still, she smiled as she asked, “And who is this, Lord Ivlis?”

Rieta’s stare returned to rest on the young one. Well, he _had_ been a young one. Only moments ago he had been a child – well, she assumed he was a child based on his stature. Now, this devil looked so much more like Ivlis. The way his hair was styled, though much darker; the way his eyes shone with that yellow-orange hue; even the horns were similar in shape, though much more purple than red. Rieta knew before Ivlis even responded who this young man would be.

“Rieta, this is Licorice. He’s my son.”

Even with the introduction, Rieta still found it amazing that her Lord had made another child. Had that much time truly passed with her being gone? Yes, time for demons and immortal beings was irrelevant, but it still surprised her to imagine that in all this time, Ivlis had created another child.

Rieta lightly smiled at the childlike man named Licorice, and he gave a polite nod towards her, still quiet. Perhaps he was unsure of what to make of this “intruder.” Rieta concluded that this was most likely what he could be thinking; after all, Rieta was the odd one out coming into this home after being gone for so long. Of course the boy wouldn’t know what to make of her. Sympathizing with how he must be feeling, while also feeling a bit like a stranger in her own home, Rieta commented, “Lord Ivlis, you created another beautiful child from your flames.”

Rieta first noticed the slight frown that creased the corners of Ivlis’s lips, and she could swear she saw the color drain out of his face slightly, while also showing a pinkish hue to his cheeks. Concerned and confused, Rieta went to question if he was feeling alright, only for Poemi to pipe up.

“Oh, Lico wasn’t born from flames like Poemi was, Rieta. Licorice has two Papas.” The demon’s cheeks puffed out slightly in a pout. “It’s unfair because Licorice gets twice the presents on special occasions.”

Such simple words from a demon child’s mouth, but ones that were quite revealing to the origins of this new resident.

Rieta focused her attention from Poemi back to Ivlis, who did not say much, though his mouth opened briefly, as if he was trying to speak but could not get the words out. She could clearly tell he was embarrassed. Despite her own curiosity as to how and why Ivlis had ended up with a child from someone else – a man, no less – Rieta turned her attention to Emalf. He had been quiet during this whole ordeal, though he stood there with a bit of sweat beaded on his forehead – the second-hand embarrassment must have been awkward for him, as well.

“Emalf, weren’t you telling me that you wanted to take Poemi out to play today?” Her ruby eyes bore into Emalf’s amber ones, even behind his shades. Hopefully this demon’s skull wasn’t as thick as she feared it still was. Gone she may have been, but she still found it quite easy to order around this demon – as if nothing had ever changed.

“Uhhh, y – yeah,” the demon said. “I must have forgotten about it. Sorry, Rieta.”

“Emalf, you big dummy!” Poemi whined. She raised her right foot to send a kick into Emalf’s right shin. The flame demon made a pained noise as he bent over to rub at his damaged body part. “You didn’t even tell me about it! How stupid are you? Humph.” Poemi crossed her arms over her chest in a childish and frustrated manner. “You better make it up to Poemi good!”

Emalf whined as he straightened up again. “Ouch, ouch,” he moaned out. “Poemi, go easy on me.”

“Poemi will once we reach a fun spot,” the demon child continued. She grabbed ahold of Emalf’s red claws with her own, practically dragging him out of the room with her as he stumbled over his own feet.

“H – Hang on!” Emalf replied in a flustered tone.

Rieta’s gaze now traveled to Licorice, who had decided to return to his childlike form. Never before had she seen that type of power in a demon or devil – whatever this boy was. He slid down off of the sofa, his little black shoes shuffling across the rug to follow after Emalf and Poemi. “I’ll join them, Mama,” he stated as he walked past Ivlis. At least this child seemed to have some brains, Rieta couldn’t help but think. Yes, things had certainly changed after all this time, but one thing she still noticed was Emalf’s and Poemi’s seemingly aloofness. Part of her groaned at having to deal with that once more, but another part of her could not help but feel warmth in her heart at seeing this once again; as if greeting a long-lost friend.

As the ruckus of the group headed out through the front doors of the castle, Rieta let out a light sigh, and she noticed Ivlis did the same as he slightly hung his head down. Was he tired? Ashamed? She couldn’t really tell, but she knew he was certainly feeling something; she knew better than anyone what his expressions and body language meant. Even if she hadn’t seen him in decades, she could still recall his emotions being concealed yet easy to read.

“Lord Ivlis,” she began, her hands clasped in front of her lap. Ivlis raised his eyes to meet hers, and she could see hints of shame, panic, and agitation in their golden depths. “Do you…want to talk about it?” She did not mention what the “it” was, but she knew he could infer the topic she wanted to reach out about.

Lowering his eyes a bit, Ivlis visibly gulped, only to nod. “Yeah,” he whispered out. “I think…you should know some things, Rieta.”

Ivlis chewed on his lip for what felt like the fiftieth time since speaking with Rieta. He knew that introducing Licorice might be a bit risky – though, he was thankful it had gone smoothly – but he hadn’t anticipated that Poemi would be so bold as to just declare the familial ties that Ivlis shared with another being. As difficult as it was for him to say, Ivlis confessed to Rieta the history since their failed attack on the Gray world – of how he became a bullied target for Reficul; of how he soon became a plaything for her. As he mentioned his dealings with this devil, he could feel Rieta’s shock and anger practically emanating from her to hear that the woman who had trapped her for so long had done these horrible things to her lord. Ivlis decided it would be best to leave out all of the details on all Reficul had done to him - though, he had to admit - it was much more bearable than what the next fiend he shared with her had done to him. Speaking of Satanick only made Ivlis feel further disgust and embarrassment once more as he bore out the origins of Licorice; how a single, cataclysmic event turned into a child and the continued “courting” of this devil lord.

No.

No way was Ivlis going to tell Rieta all of the gruesome details on how he had been “trained” to obey Queen-sama, or how the devil she introduced him to had begun the most unimaginable torture methods on him. Even the watered down words that Ivlis managed to force out in his choked throat felt like a part of him being exposed all over again. All of his shameful secrets being freely shared to the one person he felt most comfortable around with sharing these diminutive details with. Ivlis sat next to Rieta on the couch, leaning his arms lazily over his legs, allowing both his hands and head to hang down as he spoke. At some point during the conversation, he no longer made eye contact with her. Was it from the shame of sharing these horribly embarrassing secrets? His own self-disgust? To even freely speak about these experiences left him feeling vulnerable yet also a bit more...free.

Whatever this was, Ivlis found Rieta now touching his shoulder. He turned his head to the right, staring up at her from his slouched position. Her eyes showed clear remorse, pain, and a desire – for what, Ivlis was unsure. However, that spark in her eyes showed a need for judgement. Of course Rieta would want to take action against these misgivings; that much hadn’t changed. Slowly, Ivlis unfurled himself from holding his sides – he didn’t recall wrapping up like that, but he barely recollected everything he had just spoken. His gaze now looking down at her, Ivlis could see that Rieta was slightly shaking.

“Rieta,” he began. “I don’t want you to become angry over this.” Perhaps he should have just kept everything hidden, after all. But would keeping her in the dark really have accomplished anything? Ivlis was unsure what to even do anymore. Sighing out, Ivlis turned to fully face her. He could still feel his stomach in knots and the lump still stuck in his throat, but he pressed on. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth.”

Shaking her head furiously, Rieta leaned in even closer to Ivlis, causing him to naturally straighten up. Her hand had slid off of his shoulder, both now digging into the cushion of the sofa as she leaned forward. He could practically hear the tiny rips to the fabric as her claws dug in. Right now was not the time to worry about the furniture; the emotional storm raging inside this demon was clearly overwhelming her.

“Lord Ivlis,” Rieta choked out, her voice cracking around the cold and deadpan tone of it. Swallowing for a moment to gather her thoughts and emotions, Rieta spilled forth these words:

“Lord Ivlis, I could kill them for you.”


	5. Cruel Fate

Ivlis let out a deep sigh as he leaned forward over the balustrade on his castle wall. He regretted how he had responded to Rieta now. In the past, he would not have cared if she had threatened the lives of those who opposed him. In truth, he would have been the one to have wanted to wage war on others, welcoming the aide of his faithful follower. But the past was the past; such things were merely fantasy nowadays.

_Had he heard Rieta correctly?_

_Ivlis laughed at such an absurdity, unsure if he had heard her correctly. Fiercely loyal to him even till this day, she was still offering to do things for him. But what absurdity to hear that she would even think to go against Reficul – the devil who had literally trapped her inside of a genie lamp – and Satanick. “Are you crazy?” he found himself snapping back at her. “Do you have any idea what kind of power those devils wield? You’d be a dead fool before you even hit the ground.” As soon as those words left his lips, Ivlis made a noise in the back of his throat, like that of a light gasp. He shut his mouth, realizing the harshness of his words. He could tell from the look on Rieta’s face and her enlarged eyes that such a statement wasn’t something to be taken lightly, true as it might be._

_Still, Rieta composed her expression, nodding at Ivlis. “Of course,” she responded back to him. “I understand.” She slid her hands back, unclenching them from the confines of the sofa she had unknowingly been digging her claws into. “I’m sorry, Lord Ivlis. Forgive me for such impudence.” Rieta turned to stand up, bowing towards her lord, her long ponytail falling forward. She then turned to leave the living room, her soft steps sounding a bit louder now to Ivlis as she exited. He did not get up to see her off, simply sitting there in silence._

A breeze of hot wind brushed past Ivlis as he stared out over the landscape. The sky was always dark yet slightly lit up thanks to the flames and heat in the underworld. Houses littered the town area slightly off in the distance; homes of residents that knew he was the ruling devil, yet they moved about their lives with nary a care. And why shouldn’t they? Such a simplistic lifestyle is what he craved these days. Ego and pride aside, Ivlis had to admit life was much smoother before these devils entered his life.

The only reason they did was due to that attack on the Gray World.

Ivlis couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that tortuous reminder. Even his own brain liked to remind him of his failures. He let out a half-hearted chuckle as he realized that even alone – especially alone – he betrayed himself.

Looking towards his left, Ivlis looked down the open length of space on this stone walkway. Of course, nobody else was around; that’s why he liked it out here. The solitude could be deafening but also peaceful in its own strange way. Over the years, he had learned how to cope with some of these emotions. After all, what choice did he have but to do it by his lonesome? The one who would be his companion to share things with had disappeared.

Ivlis let out a sigh as he turned around, placing his palms back on the edge of the ledge. His thoughts were once more reminding him of Rieta. It was probably due to the fact she had popped back onto his radar after so long, yet he still found himself a bit hesitant at apologizing for his curtness.

_...Pathetic demon…._

Clenching his teeth at Lord Siralos’s former, harsh words that crept in unawares, Ivlis pushed away from leaning against the stone ledge, his boots thumping down the walkway. He was right in telling Rieta that Reficul and Satanick would leave her a dead fool if she ever went against them on his behalf. Yet, Ivlis could see that the foolish behavior lie in his own self-pity.

The flame devil hoped that the rest of the day could be somewhat productive as he tried to push his way through the haze in his mind.

Being so accustomed to her duties to help Lord Ivlis, Rieta now found herself in a bit of a bothersome spot. She wandered the hallways of the castle for a while after she had left speaking with Ivlis, hoping that some movement would clear her head and heart. Time did wonders to help her process things a bit better, but it still stung to be reprimanded by her lord. She was used to being corrected when a mission was failed, but even those corrections were so minuscule; she had never once found herself or her cohorts even physically harmed by this devil. A devil he might be, but his kind-hearted nature to those whom he cared for and who cared for him only proved to Rieta just how detrimental Ivlis’s mistreatment by the hands of others were. Thinking about how unjust things had become for her lord left her in a cyclical battle of regret, anger, and sadness as she wandered, stopping for a while in her room to sit on the edge of the bed as she pondered every single word Ivlis had spoken.

Reficul – the horrible, red-eyed devil that had imprisoned her in that lamp. This “Queen-sama” was a tormentor to her lord; how she hated that Ivlis had called her that – even that tiniest slip up of him calling her by the title he was trained into saying had Rieta fuming. Yes, this passing demon that had helped disrupt their invasion was quite the force to be reckoned with. Still, it did not make things more bearable in the least; if anything, it caused Rieta more grief to know that this woman had caused her lord such unnecessary trouble. The madwoman had even invited another devil into this soiled affair – someone named Satanick.

Just from the way Ivlis had spoken about this man, Rieta could sense there was more to the story than Ivlis was letting on. His body language clearly showed how uncomfortable he was talking about this man. Rieta had never heard of this devil before; then again, neither had she heard about Reficul until that fateful encounter. Whoever he was, he was clearly a man of great influence or power to have her lord speaking in such a resigned manner. Ivlis had not specified exact details on what he had done to him, but Rieta could only imagine the horrors. She felt ill imagining what he could have done to her lord as she pieced together the new castle resident and Poemi’s words about “two papas.”

Rieta hung her head in her hands as she leaned forward on her bed – a bed that still had remained intact along with her room. She hadn’t been forgotten…. Such a thought made her ache even more. The kindness of such a gesture. The idea of the room being left this way due to a matter of laziness had crossed her mind, but she knew better than that. An airhead he might be, but Lord Ivlis had a meek and gentle soul that only Rieta had seen. Had that same spirit of meekness been shown to those two perpetrators? Such filth did not deserve to see such a side of him. In her eyes, Lord Ivlis deserved so much more than the cards he had been dealt in life. Over the years of being imprisoned, she’d had plenty of time to think about how she had failed in her duties – to serve, destroy, and protect whenever her lord commanded. Now, she truly regretted her shortcomings; such things had left Ivlis vulnerable to the whims of others.

Rieta deeply sighed as she slid her claw-like fingers through her the front strands of her hair. If only she could pay retribution by simply yanking out her strawberry blonde locks. She could feel the pressure building in her chest and behind her eyes, but she refused to cry; not right now. All she had done for years was cry. The old Rieta would never have let such things as tears get to her so easily. Sadness had occurred in the past, yes, but did tears really solve the problems presented before them; she thought not.

No.

The old Rieta would fight for what she believed was right. Even when Lord Ivlis would sulk, mope, cry, and even yell openly before her, she would remain steel-willed, observing and consoling where necessary; becoming disheartened and angered when he would. The tears would come in private when she chose. Her emotions were her own and not dictated by this man, but even she could see how synchronized the two were.

Yes.

Rieta cared deeply for Lord Ivlis – she always had and determined she always would. This was no time to be moping in her own self-pity. Sliding her hand down through her loose strands of hair, Rieta rose from her position on the bed’s edge. She walked over to the front of the room where a wooden vanity dresser sat, a large mirror in its swiveled hangings right in the middle of the object. Rieta leaned her hands on the wooden structure, staring at her reflection. From looks alone, she felt she had not changed much – well, aside from a more stoic expression, but she summed that up to be due to all of the recent events. Still, in her eyes, she could see a spark still flickering. She did not think of herself as immensely prideful, but she did consider herself to be strong in some degree.

Yes.

She would remain strong. She would perform her duties to Lord Ivlis once more, as if nothing had ever changed.

As she turned to head out of the room on her self-proclaimed mission, Rieta still felt that rolling sensation of waves inside of her that called out that things had, in fact, changed. And these changes would be ones she would have to learn to swim with or drown in. 

Day by day, Rieta found herself slowly becoming reacquainted with the workings of the Flame Underworld. It was a bit awkward at first, as so much had become new – new things in town had appeared, families had grown, the workings of everyday life. Still, Rieta took on this challenge to become familiar with all of these upgrades. It became business as usual to her. She was amazed at the messy office that Ivlis had seemingly neglected, papers piled and scattered in various places. Such a chore for her to try to organize and get things in working order once more, but one that Rieta found herself smiling about even with the occasional grumble. Lord Ivlis had not been the most dedicated to keep up with such trivial things like paperwork; he had mostly focused on keeping things running as smoothly as possible just from verbal orders. Rieta couldn’t help but find it comical that her lord was not a stickler for secretarial details.

Daily life seemed to resume once more as if nothing had ever occurred. Rieta remained nearby Ivlis as she helped him officiate his duties with maintaining order in the world, though things seemed quite peaceful. That gave Rieta some comfort knowing that things were running normal - well, as normal as it could get in a devil's world; this meant fewer headaches for Lord Ivlis and herself.

Neither had spoken about the events from days ago; such things no longer seemed to matter, though Rieta found herself a bit perturbed by that. She still felt that her lord was a bit hesitant around her. Of course, she figured that this would occur – it was not an easy process to get back into the groove of how things used to run; logically, she knew that, and she expected that, but it still bothered her in the back of her mind that Lord Ivlis seemed…distant. Rieta supposed that this was normal, and she figured that such a long time apart would inevitably lead to this. Feeling like the distance would hopefully fade, Rieta remained loyal to her duties to him. Not once did she bring up any unpleasantness or questions that still peaked her curiosity. Right now, she would remain content by his side.

As evening crept into late night, Rieta found herself sitting outside on the castle steps. The warm breeze caressed her exposed skin, and she found it almost comforting. The world might be one of darkness and flames, but she still found solace in it. After all, this was the one place she called home. In truth, she realized that home was anywhere Lord Ivlis was. She let out a sigh, placing her left elbow onto her knee, chin now resting on the tops of her claws. There she was again – thinking of him. She deeply cared for him, and she would always faithfully serve him in whatever way he asked of her. However,since her return, she noticed how her thoughts kept continuously drifting to him over and over again. Even when interacting with Emalf and Poemi, she found herself asking questions about how Ivlis had been faring. Granted, she did ask them how _they_ were, but she hoped that such prying would not be misconstrued.

Misconstrued as to what, she honestly did not know nor want to entertain such silly notions.

Gazing mindlessly off to her left, Rieta’s focus now was grabbed when she heard a swishing sound of sorts. Looking forward, she saw the spitting image of Ivlis manifest in a swirl of black and purple, only for her to realize that the young man only _looked_ like her lord. The boy’s long black ponytail and cape settled down behind him as he had transported himself back to his home. Rieta noticed him give a deep sigh, as if in relief of having left wherever he had been at. Upon inspecting his surroundings further, he jumped when he noticed he was not alone out here.

Rieta couldn’t help but chuckle a little at seeing Licorice’s surprise. The look on his face when he had been taken aback reminded her so much of how Ivlis looked when he was startled. Even when he put on his composed expression, the stoicism of it further brought to her realization that this was truly Ivlis’s own flesh and blood. Now that she thought of it, she had not spent much time with this man. Well, she supposed she had spent time with him recently, though he had been a child. From what he had told her, he could easily switch between these two forms when he pleased or when it suited him to become an adult. However, she took note that he was mostly in his child form in this world. Perhaps he was more comfortable that way? To see him arrive in his adult form was a surprise, to say the least.

Rieta offered a smile to Licorice as he approached her. “Good evening, Licorice. Strange to see you out and about like this.”

The young man nodded, offering a reply. “Good evening, Miss Rieta.” Still so polite even in this state. Maybe it was due to him not knowing her well enough yet.

The young man didn’t offer much else in the way of conversation, so Rieta decided to ask, “So, I see you can transport places easily like Lord Ivlis. That must come in very handy.” It amazed her that he could transport without the need of magic symbols or other methods necessary. Perhaps his lineage had something to do with this power.

Licorice nodded once more. “Yes,” he agreed. “It is pretty useful to travel between worlds.”

“Oh?” Rieta’s interest perked up a bit more. There was still so much she did not know about her lord’s own son. Poemi was very open with sharing everything about herself, her interests, and her abilities. Licorice seemed like a more reserved child. Nonetheless, she noticed when around Ivlis, Licorice was a bit more affectionate, albeit it a bit awkward. She found it strange he would call Ivlis “Mama” or “Mother” when he was clearly a man, but she shrugged it off. After all, that _other_ man was the father. She never met that man, but she already detested this Satanick fellow.

Another warm breeze blew by, and with it, so did a black swirl behind Licorice. Rieta watched as the form of a tall man – only slightly taller than Licorice – appeared behind him. Spiraled purple horns poked out in a bed of black locks, while deep purple eyes gleamed over a mischievous grin. He looked so formal in his black suit and cape with dark wings that poked out from his back. Standing slightly behind Licorice, Rieta’s breath hitched in her throat as she had the perfect opportunity to compare similarities between the two men.

“Licoooo,” the man called out, opening his arms wide in a dramatic display. “You forgot to give Papa a hug before leaving.”

Papa…. The man was addressing Licorice in a cutesy nickname, while also eccentrically asking for such a thing as a semi-intimate hug….

Fate was truly playing a cruel joke on her tonight, wasn’t it?


	6. Warm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that I have been very slow with releasing the fics as fast as I used to! Life happens, and work has begun to pick up in little increments. But I still adore this passion hobby, and I won't forget to keep the food coming, lol. XD 
> 
> Thank you all for stopping by and sticking around. It means a lot. 
> 
> Stay tuned for the next chapter; I think it's gonna get a bit...spicy. ;)

Satanick couldn’t believe that Licorice had left so easily without a hug for dear old Papa. Sure, the boy was ornery and always in a rush, but he would have thought that a simple hug would have sufficed for a goodbye. Though, he supposed such things from his children were rare these days. He sighed in slight disappointment thinking that. Were they just too “adult” now that neither son wanted to offer Papa any affection?

 _Nonsense!_ he reasoned. No matter how old one would get, parents would always love their children, and children should love their elders. At least, that’s what his magnificence thought. Maybe Licorice was in such a rush that he had forgotten. The poor boy was always looking for that mother of his, so he the thought must have slipped his mind. No matter; Papa could go visit his son this time.

Surprising Licorice with his open-armed invitation, Satanick beamed at the young man, who gave him both a surprised and slightly sickened look. Satanick couldn’t help but laugh. Anytime Licorice looked at him with those narrowed yellow-orange eyes and tiny frown lines around the corners of his mouth, Satanick couldn’t help but think of his beloved Roachie. The two had made such a beautiful child, and son certainly took after mother in many regards. If anything, that just made this whole scenario even more endearing to Satanick.

“Well, don’t keep me waiting,” Satanick whined, taking the initiative to step forward to wrap his arms around Licorice’s shoulders. He felt the man immediately tense up, not offering much reciprocation in the hug except a light sigh. Satanick hummed, closing his eyes in bliss as he got to hug his child. At least Licorice would somewhat let him do this; Glasses was a bit more rebellious to deal with at this stage in life.

Opening his eyes, Satanick could see the open area and stairs that led to Ivlis’s castle, and he couldn’t help but imagine if Buri-chan was inside getting ready for bed since it was nighttime. Well, assuming it was nighttime with the way the sky worked in this world, always dark hues of blacks, reds, and even purples in the evening sky. However, there was a bit more color outside tonight than usual in the form of somewhat golden hair. Satanick stared at the petite woman that now stood at the base of the stone stairs, her gaze locked onto the pair of devils. He had never seen this demon before, but he had to admit she was fairly cute. Looks aside, such a trait did not matter when the woman stared at him with a mixture of disgust, confusion, and hatred mixed into those ruby eyes and fair, sun-kissed face.

Before Satanick had a chance to ask who this woman was, Licorice raised his hands, raising them between his father and himself to push against Satanick’s chest. “Alright, already. That’s enough.” The tone of his son’s voice proved that the hug was definitively over; the push also should have also been a big hint. Still, Satanick focused on his child, giving a jovial grin. He couldn’t help but laugh when Licorice mumbled under his breath, “You’re so annoying,” clear embarrassment written on his face. Was he perhaps trying to make a good impression in front of this supposed lady friend of his? Satanick chuckled more at the thought, which only earned him the irked look of Licorice.

“Okay, okay,” the devil lord conceded, waving his wrist through the air. “I can take a hint, Lico. But just remember –,” he leaned forward in his usually flamboyant display, “– a good boy makes sure he reverences his father.” The obvious growl in the back of Licorice’s throat was a good enough indicator for Satanick to take his leave; after all, he had gotten what he had come for. Without nary another thought, the man evaporated into a cloud of blackness once more, dissipating as if he had never been there, leaving behind a disgruntled son.

“What a nuisance,” Licorice muttered under his breath, tsking his with his tongue against his teeth. Letting out a sigh, his right hand on his hip, Licorice turned to face Rieta again. He was surprised to see the tiny woman standing up in such a manner – she was perfectly straightened, and her fists were clenched at her sides. What stood out to him was those deep red eyes of hers, locked in front of her towards the spot where Satanick had been just a few seconds earlier. If Licorice didn’t know any better, he could swear that the woman was…angry. He still did not know much about this woman that served his mother, but he could sense and clearly see when someone was making that sort of face towards his old man; of course, Mother would often have that expression on his face when agitated by Father’s antics. Lately, though, Mother did not seem as perturbed by such things, though Licorice still preferred when Ivlis was more at peace than on edge. Was Rieta perhaps frustrated by Satanick’s overtly outward attitude?

“Rieta, are you okay?”

Rieta could feel her blood beginning to boil seeing this devil. That dark hair with those twisted horns still lingered in her mind from where he had been standing – as if she could see his imprint right in the air. What bothered her most was when he glanced in her direction. How dare that man look at her! she thought. This was the devil that Lord Ivlis had told her about; the father of Licorice was also the culprit who had caused her lord nothing but pain and suffering for decades. Those deep purple eyes might appear charming to some, but to Rieta, she only saw mischief in the way he presented himself. Even that smile of his – genuine as it might have been to see his child – made Rieta feel wrathful. It was not her place to react this way, but she could not help but find herself standing on her feet, fists tightly balled at her side as she tried to hold back the shaking of her shoulders. The man had not even spoken to her, yet such a visceral reaction was spontaneously occurring.

All she could think of was how that grinning, ostentatious devil had used and abused her lord….

“Rieta, are you okay?”

The soft yet deep voice of Licorice snapped Rieta back to reality. She blinked her ruby eyes a few times to clear her thoughts, and the vague mirage of that man finally vanished. She turned her gaze upwards to Licorice who stood a few feet away from her. “I – I’m sorry,” she stumbled out, embarrassed by her current state. She gulped back the array of emotions she had just experienced, trying to quiet them down to process at a later time; for now, she would refrain her personal thoughts and feelings. “I must have zoned out. My apologizes, Licorice.” She gave a light nod towards him, as if to show reverence to her lord’s child.

Yellow-orange eyes stared at her for a moment as he questioned this woman’s sudden change in attitude, but the boy shrugged it off. “It’s fine. Don’t worry, Miss Rieta.” He began walking towards her to head up the castle steps, pausing to look back at her after the first three steps to see if she was going to follow him. Still, the lady looked out over the darkening courtyard, as if still searching for something – or someone. “Are you coming, Miss Rieta?”

She turned to look once more up at the young man, giving a small smile to him. “Yes,” she replied. A simple statement, but one that she followed through on, taking soft steps up the stairs with Licorice to her right-hand side. As they reached the top in silence, Rieta glanced at him once more to ask, “Licorice, if you are free, I would like to talk with you a bit more, if that is okay with you. I’d like to get to know you a bit better.”

As Licorice pushed open the large exterior doors to lead into the home, he gave a tiny smile to Rieta in return. “Sure; that sounds nice.”

Over the next few days, Rieta had spent her time in time in deep thought. Her continued duties to Lord Ivlis and the kingdom were still being kept, but her thoughts would often turn towards Lord Ivlis. She often questioned what he was thinking or feeling when he would be quiet or disappear for hours on end to perform various tasks, yet even when talking, she found herself watching his body language as she listened to his words. Just what was going on in that head of his? What was he currently feeling? It was sometimes hard to tell what the perpetually brooding and stoic-faced flame devil was thinking. At times, he seemed somewhat distant, even when he would offer a reassuring – albeit it small – smile to her.

Rieta had also been taking time to reacquaint herself with Poemi and Emalf, but she also carved out time to bond with Licorice a bit more. The man was still quite the quandary to her – how he could appear as a child with childish thoughts and mannerisms only to turn into an adult the next moment. However, the boy seemed to spend more time as a child, doting about his “mother” whenever he had the opportunity. Rieta would often notice him going to Ivlis’s room at night, clutching a white pillow to his tiny body. Perhaps he still slept alongside Ivlis when he had a bad dream or it suited him? Rieta found it a bit strange, but she shrugged it off. The boy was certainly a mystery to her, to say the least. Nonetheless, she enjoyed getting to know Licorice a bit more. Rieta was tactful enough to not question him about such personal matters involving his family and what this meant for Lord Ivlis; however, just from being around this expanded family, Rieta could pick up on the cues when Ivlis was a bit awkward still around his child. Curiosity made her question as to the reasoning behind this, but she supposed it could be that it was due to the boy still being a “new” member to the family. In all fairness, she found her lord was more comfortable with Licorice as a child than an adult. Was it perhaps that seeing another man that resembled his abuser caused him discomfort? Rieta reprimanded herself for even thinking this way. 

Question after question swirled in Rieta’s mind as she went about her duties helping her lord handle the Flame Underworld’s affairs. This particular evening, Ivlis was scanning over a document, attempting to discern the dispute of land between two demons while Rieta stood next to the left-hand side of his office chair. Her eyes should have been reading alongside his, but she found herself staring at his golden eyes as he scanned the document. His face was calm as he read with a slight furrow to his brow. Rieta could not help but smile at this feature of his. Even with a somewhat serene look to him, her lord was still easily agitated by the little things. A small land dispute could easily be settled in a matter of minutes with his input; still, she found it almost…cute.

As that word popped into her head to describe him, Rieta found her heart thumping a bit faster. The more she looked at him as he sat so near, she could not help but admire his features. His chin rested in the palm of his right hand, propped up on the wooden desk. His pale skin seemed so smooth, the only colors being that of his bright eyes and dark hair. Ivlis was a handsome man; she had already known that from being around him for so long, despite the gap in time that had gone by. So much had changed, but one thing that had not was the admiration she felt for him.

Yes…. Surely, that must all this be was admiration.

Admiration for her lord.

Ivlis must have noticed that she was staring at him instead of reading along, as he first peeked at her from the corner of his peripheral vision, lowering his hand as he rotated his face to look up at her, though, she was still quite small even with him sitting down; he did not have to look too far up to meet her red eyes.

“Rieta, are you feeling alright?”

Rieta blinked a few times, refocusing her gaze to meet his directly. A bit flustered at having let herself get so distracted in her own thoughts, Rieta cleared her throat. “Y – Yes, my lord. I apologize. I became a bit lost, is all." She felt her cheeks growing a bit warm from the embarrassment, and she hoped that it was not that noticeable against her skin tone as he stared at her, as if questioning himself as to what he had just witnessed.

Thankfully, he turned back to the work at hand, placing the single sheet of paper back onto his desk. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes with a light sigh. Lightly stretching, Ivlis opened his eyes to look forward at a nearby clock on the wall. The ticking hand was soon going to be approaching midnight. “It’s fine,” he responded. “It is getting pretty late. We’ll pick this up tomorrow to deal with this issue.”

Rieta let out a small sigh of relief. Perhaps he had just determined she was zoned out from being tired. True, she was starting to get a bit sleepy, but that did not seem like a valid excuse in her eyes to have been staring at him so intently. “Yes,” she agreed. “I suppose you are right, Lord Ivlis.” She gave a light smile to him, watching him push himself up from his chair, his boots echoing off the linoleum floor as he began to make his way out of the office. For a while, Rieta stood there, watching him. Just what was this feeling as she stared at his back? He always wore that same outfit of his – his long gray trench coat and black and red scarf that looked like wings. Yet for some reason, she could not stop watching him.

Staring at those make-shift wings of his, she was reminded of the day he had created this scarf. After all, Siralos had torn off his real wings of red and golden-orange, leaving him as little less than a demon now. Devastated yet determined to have his own wings, Ivlis had created this scarf with his magic to replace the ones he had lost. Even now, Rieta could still recall him on his knees, wrapping the black and red object tightly around his shaking body as he lightly sobbed. Even now, she could still feel the pull on her heartstrings that she had felt that day watching someone she deeply treasured trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered life.

Once more, Ivlis’s voice snapped Rieta out of her thoughts. He had walked back over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She slightly jumped at the sudden touch, and she stared up into his face. Her cheeks became even redder at having dazed out once more to be caught by him in this state.

“You sure you’re okay?” In his voice, she could sense his concern. From just the way he looked at her, she could tell he was genuinely wondering what was going on with her.

Rieta shook her head to clear her thoughts _. Get it together, Rieta_ , she told herself. She could not keep spacing out like this; after all, she was here to be a help to her lord, not a hindrance. He should not have to worry about her state of mind. “I am perfectly fine, Lord Ivlis. Thank you…for your concern.” Feeling his hand still on her shoulder, she could feel how warm and comforting it was. Part of her longed for him to hold her once more, like they used to when she would be there to comfort him….

Nodding as if to confirm her words, Ivlis once more turned on his heel to make his way out of the room without another word. Rieta stood there a moment, listening as his footsteps soon faded down the hallway. She heard the opening and closing click of his bedroom door, and she let out a sigh. Perhaps it was time to rest for the evening. A tired brain would serve no good to him or to her. Rieta soon took her leave from the office, letting the flickering of the lit torches be a source of light and warmth for her. As she made her way down the hallway in the opposite direction of his room, she looked over her right shoulder as she stood at the door to her room. Down the hall was her lord. She longed for Ivlis, but she could not quite put her finger on what she truly wanted.

Was it to merely provide her own self with a source of solace – for her sake and not his? Was she truly so selfish? Or was she simply wanting to remain by his side, no talking, and simply be in his presence after such a long time apart?

As Rieta placed her claws on the door knob to enter her chambers, she felt the warmth of Ivlis’s claws still on her left shoulder. She retracted her hand from the door to place it over where his hand had been.

Warm.

It was still warm.

Rieta closed her eyes, soaking in this consolation.

Before she knew it, Rieta had made up her mind, finding herself sitting down to the right of Ivlis’s bedroom doors. She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting the back of her head against the wall. The stones of the floor and wall may have been cool, but being even near his door, Rieta felt better; at home, at peace. The cold did not bother her. After all, she had enough warmth to keep her comfortable for the evening.

Shutting her eyes, Rieta listened to the flicking and light crackle of the fire as they burned in their torches dotted along the walls. She decided she would rest here for the evening, telling herself to wake up before any others did lest they find her in such an odd resting spot. 


	7. Special Being

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? I know, right? :P 
> 
> To all the Ivlieta fans out there, here you are. ;) 
> 
> I will always be a Sataivlis shipper - a fave OTP of mine - but I love the idea of Ivlieta, as well. Cuties. <3

Rieta was soon woken up by the sounds of muffled groaning. Slowly opening her eyes, it took her a moment to adjust to her surroundings. Her back and neck were a bit stiff, but she supposed that’s what she gets for sitting on the floor to rest. She soon recalled that she had decided to sleep outside Ivlis’s room in order to feel a bit closer to him. She glanced around to the left and right, though she still did not see anyone. The lighting from the torches was still the only lighting visible, so she assumed it was still fairly early in the morning that none of the others had woken up. Still, she wondered what had stirred her from her slumber.

Hearing the light groaning again, Rieta rotated her head, focusing her hearing to determine if the noise was truly coming from where she suspected. After a few minutes, another moan echoed out through the wooden doors, confirming her suspicions. Lord Ivlis was pained.

Immediately standing up, Rieta placed her hands on the door handles, ready to fling the doors open to find out what was wrong with her lord. However, she realized that since it was the middle of the night, he was most likely sleeping. _Ah,_ she realized; _he must be having a nightmare._ Quietly, she creaked open the doors, peeking inside, her long ponytail draping past her as her eyes adjusted to the dark room. She noticed nothing amiss at first – just the typical attire of a bedroom. Another disgruntled moan had her now glancing towards Ivlis’s bed. He had left the drapes around his bed open, so she could clearly see him tossing and turning, his eyes still shut. Knowing that he was technically safe, Rieta felt a calmness wash over her. She had not realized how on-edge she had become fearing that something was truly wrong with him. Satisfied that he was physically free of harm, Rieta told herself to leave him be and rest.

Yet, seeing him obviously disturbed in his sleep, she felt like she could not sit idly by while he was suffering inside his own mind. As she opened the doors a bit more to allow herself to pass through the gap – softly closing them behind herself as she made her way towards the edge of his bed – Rieta was grateful to not see Licorice around. It looked as if tonight he had chosen not to come sleep in Mother’s bed. Rieta wondered if maybe not having someone near him had caused these night terrors to plague Ivlis. Was this a frequent occurrence for him? Her mouth drooped down into a frown as she looked at him with sad eyes. She could see he was distressed with how his eyebrows were knit together and his teeth clenched. Sweat was even beading on his brow.

Rieta could not begin to imagine what his dreams must look like. He had been through such trauma when he was cast out of the Land of the Sun, having lost his entire home and family that day. Nightmares had been a common theme for him for many a decade as she tried to soothe him, sitting by his side to rub his back when he would wake up screaming some nights. Now, he had even more trauma thrown onto him thanks to the likes of two devils. Her heart felt like it had been gripped in a vice, vexed with herself that she had not been there to help him or put a stop to any of this having occurred in the first place.

She may not have been around to help then, but now…. Now she could offer him some solace. At least, she hoped to. 

Deftly reaching out, Rieta placed her claws onto Ivlis’s left shoulder. At first, he did not stir, simply groaning once more in his sleep as his own claws dug into the bed sheets. She noticed he had simply tossed his coats and scarf to the floor, sleeping in just his long-sleeve white shirt and black pants. She could not imagine how tired he must be these days. “Lord Ivlis?” she whispered out.

“S – Stop….” 

Rieta was surprised when he gasped out these words, ready to retract her hand from off of him, afraid she had upset him. However, his eyes remained shut, moving quickly behind his eyelids as he remained in a deep slumber. “Lord Ivlis?” she asked, a bit louder this time.

“N – No,” Ivlis moaned, rolling his head over, a pained look on his face. His eyes were pressed tightly together now. If she didn’t know any better, it looked as if he was about to cry.

“Lord Ivlis, wake up,” Rieta said, giving a light shake to his shoulder. It would probably be startling, but she did not want to see him suffer like this even in his dreams.

“N – No! Stop!” Ivlis screamed out, still fast asleep, his body instinctively curling up now as if to protect himself.

“Lord Ivlis!”

Ivlis’s eyes flung open, gasping out harshly seeing a figure reaching out over him. He instinctively scrambled back towards the top of his bed, tangling himself in his own bed sheets. His heart immediately began to pound against his ribs, and he huffed, sweat sticking to body. Trembling, he raised his arms up and shut his eyes tightly, bracing for pain. _Not again!_ his mind screamed. He hated this was the normal occurrence with this horrible devil.

“Lord Ivlis!”

The gasp of a feminine voice and his name being called out had him second guessing what was actually happening. Cracking open his eyes and lowering his arms, Ivlis blinked away the dimness in the room. There, leaning over the bed – her claws reaching out towards him – stood Rieta. Even in the darkness, he could see the clear shock and concern written across her features.

So, that presence he had feared was only Rieta. Letting out a breath of relief, Ivlis placed a hand over his heart, trying to calm himself.

“R – Rieta, you scared me!” he gasped out in a whispered breath. How glad he was that it was only her! He would much rather be startled awake by her than that Pitch Black devil any day. He slowly huffed as he tried to steady his breathing and shake off the chaotic thoughts that had swirled inside his head. As the shaking stilled, Ivlis lowered his head onto his chest, running his hands through the front strands of his red-tipped hair. He was embarrassed she had seen him like that. True, she had a number of times over the years, but shame ate at him that she had to see him so frightened by such a silly nightmare. “Why are you here?” The ire in his voice – meant for the tormentor in his dream – mixed with the crack in it from fear. He hated how he sounded just now.

Rieta straightened up, clasping her hands into her lap as she stood there. “I – I’m sorry, my lord. I heard you, so I came to check on you.”

Ah; that explained it. Ivlis should have known that was the case. Rieta would not have entered his room like this to have harmed him in any sense of the word. She was incredibly loyal to him. Decades may have gone by, yet she still remained his closest confidant and friend.

“If that will be all then….” She allowed her voice to trail off as she turned around, seemingly ready to leave. Had he hurt her feelings with how brazen his words had been?

“Rieta, wait.” Ivlis found himself reaching out, clasping onto her wrist that was covered with her long sleeves. Part of him didn’t want her to leave; not just yet. He recalled the many nights she would sit next to him while he kept his legs curled up to his chest shortly after being cast out from Lord Siralos's world. Every day was a struggle to fight off these horrible feelings of pain and abandonment. He couldn’t really recall all of those days and nights – only that they all blended together into a tearful blur. Yet the one thing he could recall was Rieta kneeling by his side. She would often hold him, comforting him.

Rieta was truly a special being….

“Rieta, I….” Ivlis couldn’t quite form what he was feeling in this moment. He hadn’t felt this sort of…feeling in a while. The only one he had ever loved was Lord Siralos, yet he found himself always raped by Satanick. Yes, Ivlis knew he was highly conflicted in his emotions these days; he wasn’t sure what he truly wanted. But in this moment, he knew what he craved.

He wanted someone to hold. Someone to hold him back. Someone to love....

Slowly, Ivlis pulled Rieta towards him so she was now at the edge of his bed.

Rieta stared at her lord with her ruby red eyes, their depths shaking as she tried to determine what was going on in front of her. She had turned to leave, only to be caught by Ivlis’s warm grasp. Just even his hand on her wrist – even through her clothing – Rieta couldn’t help but find her heart beating faster and her breathing increasing. Turning, she saw him kneeling forward on his bed on his hands and knees, his left hand holding her wrist. The way his ponytail draped over his shoulder and those large eyes stared at her had her feeling somewhat weak in the knees.

She wasn’t ignorant to these feelings – she had an idea of what these emotions were. But was she reading this right; was Ivlis feeling this way, too? What else could that look in his eyes mean? As she was brought back to his bed, her knees hitting the edge, the two of them stared at each for what seemed to drag on forever. Rieta soon found her face lowering to his as his face raised to meet hers. As their breath mingled together, both hot and ragged, Rieta found herself being kissed by Lord Ivlis. Both of their eyes closed as they allowed their lips to push lightly against each other, then a bit more intensely. Rieta shivered at feeling his warm mouth against her, and Ivlis moaned. She hadn’t ever heard him moan in pleasure like this, and this only caused her to melt more into the kiss.

With his left hand still on her wrist, Ivlis gently pulled Rieta onto the bed as he backed up. He found himself reclining on the bed, legs in front of him, and his back against the wall and large drapes that curtained around his bed. Rieta now rest on top of him, her small body lying vertically along his, her chest resting on his. For whatever reason, Ivlis didn’t find himself fascinated with the female form, but Rieta was different. As he released her wrist – she now placed her hands onto his shoulders – he could feel her long hair moving across his left arm as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Lip-locked with her, Ivlis soon opened his mouth to gasp in some air, and she followed suit.

Her lips were so soft. Her breath was so warm. How had he never noticed how warm this woman was? Had he really been so blinded in his own sadness that he never noticed the type of sensuality she had? Well, he supposed that didn’t matter right now – the past was the past, after all. He tried to tell himself that so many times before, always tormenting himself with such thoughts. However, now he could easily shrug it off; now was not the time to bog down his mind with this. Right now, he wanted more of Rieta….

Rieta’s eyes widened as she felt herself being rolled over into the center of Ivlis’s bed. She couldn’t help but deeply blush at seeing him hovering over her on all fours. His long hair hung around his head and body, draping around her like curtains as if to hide her in this sinful position. Was this really okay to do? Ivlis was her lord; she wanted to serve him loyally and faithfully. Even kissing him should have been taboo – yet, here he was, willingly kissing her. Rieta clenched her hands around Ivlis’s shoulders gently, making sure she got his attention as she watched his eyes focus on hers.

“Lord Ivlis,” she whispered, a bit breathless with this whole situation. “Are you…sure about this?” As much as part of her desired any semblance of proximity with Ivlis, she was so conflicted about what she truly wanted. Never did she want to tarnish the relationship they had with a few minutes of passion.

Ivlis stared at her for what seemed like ages, his golden eyes never wavering as he thought this through. Was he okay with such a thing? Was it okay to sleep with her? Rieta had been so faithful to him all those years – and here she was, faithful once more. Was he merely taking advantage of her goodwill and caring nature? That thought sickened him, and he wanted to pull back from her upon imagining such a horrible thing. Nevertheless, he saw no trace of apprehensiveness in her eyes or her features. The way she gripped at his shoulders, he could feel her muscles twitching to move down to his button-up shirt.

Rieta wanted him too….

“Yes,” Ivlis whispered out. “Rieta, I want to do this.”

With that final declaration, Ivlis dove in for another kiss, loving to hear Rieta moan like this. He honestly couldn’t even recall the last time he had ever been with a woman or having made one moan like this. Well…not of his own free will. Reficul was a woman, but Ivlis had to learn to appreciate his “Queen-sama” as she trained him to obey and pleasure her. Anytime they were intimate, Ivlis was usually the one on the bottom unless she specified for him to be on top. Now, looking at Rieta – a strong yet docile female – Ivlis felt more…manly. Pride was always a part of who he was – he knew that well enough – but most of it had been stripped away once he realized he could no longer fight back the way he once used to before his powers were sapped. He became a mere “boy toy” to these two devils to use and abuse in whatever way they saw fit.

Today…. Today would be different. No more would Ivlis be on the receiving end of such sexual gratification. Now, he would be the one to give the pleasure, and on his terms.

With a small grin on his lips, Ivlis began gently tugging at Rieta’s top to pull it down to expose her chest. She gave a mild gasp at this, but she found herself unbuttoning Ivlis’s shirt, pulling it down the length of his arms. He pulled back from the kiss a bit sloppily, saliva trailing between them, as he wiggled out of his shirt, tossing it behind him. Now, his whole front was open before her eyes, and he watched her eyes travel across the myriad of scars. At first, he began to feel a bit self-conscious of them, reminded of the myriad of torture methods Satanick had done to him to leave these lasting marks. He amazed himself that when Rieta opened her mouth to ask what they were from, he placed his right index finger over her lips.

“Don’t say anything,” he whispered out. “Not yet.” He retracted his finger to place his hands along the waistband of her harem-like pants. “Let’s just enjoy ourselves right now. Okay?” He waited for her to nod in confirmation before he gently yet quickly removed both her pants and her panties in one motion, sliding them down off of her feet. The silky fabric was so much easier to remove as it slipped off of her smooth skin so easily. As Ivlis stared down at her bare form now, save for her top that now hung around her stomach, Ivlis already could feel himself becoming erect. For a moment, he internally struggled with this feeling – after all, erections only occurred when in the presence of Reficul’s training or Satanick’s groping. Having one on his own was strange nowadays, especially seeing a female’s intimate parts.

Satanick had shown him myriads of pornos and snuff films before, but Ivlis honestly tried to ignore those. They never seemed genuine in those played-out “movies.” Even when he would show him the ones with real people that Satanick said he knew, Ivlis would simply turn his face away as he heard the filthy talk and noises that came from the screen. None of that had ever turned Ivlis on; he honestly wasn’t sure he was interested in that stuff. For years, the female anatomy just didn’t fascinate him. He wasn’t sure why – it just never seemed to.

Nevertheless, Rieta was before him – now unbuckling his belt – and Ivlis felt himself heated for a woman. His gut churned as he reflexively felt sickened that his pants were being undone, but he corrected himself. This was not some grope session with that man or Reficul; this was someone special.

Ivlis kicked off the remainder of his pants now draped around his ankles. Part of him felt like he should be embarrassed about being naked in front of Rieta, but another part of him said that this was perfectly normal – that this would be a moment to cherish with someone he genuinely lusted for. Ivlis first buried his face between Rieta’s breasts, feeling their soft mounds against his cheeks. He listened to her moan among her thumping heart, and he grinned. He couldn’t help but feel a bit proud that she was getting excited for someone like him. Trailing his tongue between her cleavage and around her mounds, Ivlis made his way to her left nipple. He first grazed it with his lips, and he felt her buck underneath him as he hovered over her. His tongue flickered over the puckered tip before he placed his mouth over it to begin sucking on it, twirling his tongue around the hard, pink areola. As Rieta moaned deeply, he felt her claws digging into his shoulders, but not enough to cause pain. He soon felt her wrapping her legs around his hips, dragging his body even closer to hers.

“Lord…Ivlis….” Rieta moaned. “I want…you.” Such simple, powerful, and promiscuous words. Rieta had never spoken anything like that to another person in centuries. Had she even said anything this like this to anyone, now that she thought about it? Well, that did not matter – it only mattered now. This was the most treasured person in her world. To think that such a man would even be here to see her naked body and give attention to her most secret parts. An elated yet distorted feeling was washing over her in small waves – like she was having an out-of-body experience. Was this really happening to her? She could feel every tiny spark as his tongue flicked across her chest; she could feel the heat rising in her own body, as well as his; she could feel his hard member pressing against her core. So desperately she craved for him to take her.

As she was lost in this insatiable desire for him to ravish her, Ivlis leaned on his left arm as he slid his right hand down. His fingers trailed across her hip and over the top of her left thigh, causing her to shudder in anticipation. She jumped a bit as she felt his claws now touching her already wet labias. She could have faded away into this sea of pleasure just hearing him chuckle in his throat to find her eager and ready. As he fiddled with her lower lips between his fingers – Rieta was now bucking against his fingers, her pelvis crushing into his – she moaned and groaned even louder now.

“L – Lord Ivlis!” she gasped out. “P – Please!”

Ivlis hadn’t experienced this sensation in quite a long time; a forgotten one, to be sure. When was the last time he had felt so powerful? A long, long time, to be sure. Hearing someone call his name, asking for him in such a pleading way, it filled him with that one trait he always possessed – pride. Raising his head from her breasts, Ivlis hovered his lips over hers. Both of them stared into each other’s eyes for a moment as he removed his hand from her core, positioning himself to enter her. As he moved his hips to push into her, Rieta’s eyes rolled back slightly as she closed her eyes, a moan escaping her lips before he brought his mouth crashing down onto hers. Steadily, Ivlis rocked his hips back and forth as he rhythmically sped up his thrusts, holding onto her petite shoulders as the two passionately kissed. He found himself moaning as their breath and saliva mingled together, feeling her tongue slipping on his. Was this what it felt like to be “in charge” of something? What a foreign feeling these days – to be able to declare that he was truly in control while the rest of his life felt like it was spiraling.

As he pounded and thrust into her harder and harder, Rieta finally pulled her mouth away from his, her legs tightening around him as she threw her head back against the pillows. Her nails dug into his back, but he did not mind. Right now, all that he was focused on was bringing her to the brink of pleasure. As Rieta’s mouth opened and she let out a light, gasping moan as she shuddered in orgasm, Ivlis soon found himself releasing himself into her. It had been quite a while since he had came inside of a woman, so to feel the shuddering walls of her vagina around him had him feeling strange. As he spasmed and clung to her as she cleaved to him, he looked down at her once more with hooded yet sparking eyes. Wet pieces of hair hung down in front of his face as he gasped for breath, his pelvis still pressed into hers, chest over hers. Rieta’s claws had now released from his back, and she slowly trailed them around to place her palms onto his bare chest.

With a small smile from her – her eyes and face both lighting up red with delight – Ivlis returned a small smile to her as well.

Yes.

Rieta truly was a special being. 


	8. Muddle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a literal month since I last updated this series; where has the time flown?! So sorry for making you all wait. I have a problem where I work on multiple works at once when the inspiration strikes; I gotta stop that. XD Is this what artists mean when they work on their projects? 
> 
> Thank you so much for waiting around and being patient with me. I have been thinking how to add more to this series, and I think I have some scenes planned out. I hope to do you proud. :) <3

Ivlis cracked his eyes open slowly. He felt that morning had already come and was quickly passing by despite the sky not really shifting in this world. Ivlis blinked a few times as he let out a soft, breathy sigh as he looked at the purplish-black sky that was fading into a red hue with the coming dawn. It took him a while to compose himself in his sleepy state – Ivlis noticed by now that he was not what one would call “a morning person.” However, despite his tiredness, Ivlis somehow felt…relaxed in a strange way. As the fog slowly dissipated from his mind, Ivlis began to roll himself over, noticing the smoothness of the sheets against his bare skin.

Bare?

Turning over fully, he soon recalled the reason for his state of undress as he stared into the hooded ruby eyes of Rieta. She lie facing him, her right cheek nestled in the pillow with her hands tucked under her chin; it appeared she had just woken up, as well. Seeing her peachy shoulders, Ivlis’s eyes soon found themselves traveling down her bare torso – well, she certainly seemed to have no qualms about being nude before him now, still lying contently with her eyes still on his face. Soon, he noticed the black sun tattoo that curved over the left side of her body.

That symbol ….

It was not the same as the one that Ivlis remembered of Lord Siralos, yet it still brought him further reminders of the past.

Unknowingly, Ivlis had reached out to touch that marking, the tips of his claws touching the mark and trailing along the curve of her body and hip. He noticed she shivered at his touch, and he soon pulled his hand back, looking her in the eyes to apologize. “Sorry,” he mumbled out. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

With a tiny smile and a shake of her head against the pillow, Rieta replied, “No, Lord Ivlis. It’s okay. I’m…quite comfortable.” She looked down at his bare chest for a moment, and a slight blush rose to her cheeks. She quickly shut down whatever thoughts her mind was trying to produce, the rational side of her telling her to not become so complacent in her lord’s bed like this. After all, this was still the one whom she had devoted her life to serve; one could not afford to throw away such a position for the whims of the flesh. 

Ivlis must have been thinking similar thoughts, as he soon turned over once more to sit himself up. With the sheets still around his waist, Rieta could still get a glimpse of his bare torso, back, and hips. Along his back, she noticed the dark yet faded scars of where his golden red wings had once shone. She, herself, felt an ache in her own chest seeing them, only imagining the pain it caused Ivlis to see those scars. However, her eyes spotted other various scars that were dotted along his back. She wanted to reach out and touch those scars, wondering just who had hurt him repeatedly enough to leave such marks on him. Now that she thought about it, while they had been making love, she noticed that his chest was also heavily scarred in spots. Was that from that devil woman Reficul or that flamboyant Satanick? Just how much had Ivlis suffered from her failure to keep him safe? Those thoughts once again filled Rieta with such disappointment in herself.

After all, all she had wanted from Ivlis was to see him smile….

Rieta watched as Lord Ivlis slid out of the bed, walking around the bed to the other side where she lay. Rieta caught a glimpse of Ivlis’s bare buttocks and body as he walked by. Surprisingly, he did not seem too embarrassed to be nude in front of her. That almost made her feel…special in its own way. The two had always been close and relied on each other for comfort, but now it seemed that the proximity had reached far beyond what either of them could have imagined. Rieta couldn’t help but smile watching his pointed red tail flick back and forth as Ivlis began to dress himself in a fresh pair of black pants and a black turtleneck from his nearby dresser. Even watching him pull his long ponytail out from the confines of the sweater seemed to fascinate her. Was this simply due to the evening they had spent together? Was she beginning to read too much into this, she wondered?

Then again, Rieta had always loved Ivlis….

That thought froze her in her thoughts for a moment. Love.... Yes, she deeply cared and loved Lord Ivlis in a way that words could not explain. Perhaps it was simply due to the fact that they had been there for each other over all these decades. That made the most logical sense to her, and one that felt more akin to what she had always felt in her heart. Yet the very word by definition held a sort of romanticism to it that Rieta was unsure of. To even think that someone like her could love her own lord was foolish…wasn’t it?

“Rieta? Are you coming?”

Ivlis’s voice snapped her back to reality, her deep red eyes blinking for a moment as if to clear her mind of these wispy thoughts. That was all they were; nothing more. She should not read too much into this from a mere evening of carnality.

Nodding in agreement, Rieta steadied herself to remain focused on the task at hand. Her duties and loyalty was to one man, and to one man only. These trivial little thoughts would not cause her to stumble.

“Yes, Lord Ivlis,” she replied, pushing herself up into a sitting position onto his bed. She quickly reached down to adjust and lift up her tube top to cover her bare chest. A quick motion, but one she found herself performing while glancing over at Ivlis momentarily; she could not help but notice that he had looked at her doing so.

 _Keep it together_ , Rieta, she reprimanded herself; him staring at her did not mean anything. It was most likely due to the fact that she was dressing herself and nothing more. Besides, her faithfulness to him was not rooted in such carnal pleasures, as much as she might have enjoyed it....

Sliding herself out of the bed in a quick fashion – the longer she stayed in his bed, the longer she worried her mind would be trapped in this never ending cycle – Rieta made quick work of gathering up her discarded clothing and dressing. She then quickly undid the large ribbon in her hair to let it fall down around her, running her claws through her strawberry-blonde locks to fix herself up a bit more before venturing off for whatever Lord Ivlis commanded today. As she began tying her hair back up into her signature side ponytail, Rieta gave a small smile to Ivlis; yes, his eyes were still on her. Those golden-yellow depths seemed to simply be watching her, as if nothing was awry.

Of course it wasn’t; this was the way things were supposed to be.

Taking a deep breath through her nostrils to then exhale it back out, Rieta stood at the ready, clasping her hands in front of her waist. “At your command, Lord Ivlis.”

As it should be….

Days seemed to blend together as life returned to normal; well, as normal as things could be in a world of flames. Though, in some strange way, the environment did not bother her anymore – in fact, it was welcoming to once more be in the underworld. When they had left the Land of the Sun after Ivlis had been banished, Rieta found the place a desolate land with nothing but darkness. It had been an adjustment to be sure, but the one who had suffered the most in trying to adjust to such a harsh new life was Ivlis. Things would never be as they had been in that warm and bright land, but being around Ivlis and the others gave Rieta a brightness and warmth she had not realized she had so desperately needed. Grateful for these reminders, Rieta attempted to stay focused on serving Lord Ivlis and helping him with anything he needed in the castle and with the affairs of his world, just as it had been like in the past.

The first few days after Ivlis and Rieta had lain together was a bit rocky in Rieta’s mind, though she did not display this. If anything, she kept a smile on her face and attentiveness to her job as per usual. Lord Ivlis had seen doing the same, though the smiling part was still a bit lacking in some departments. She honestly could not blame him; he had always been a sullen man. Nonetheless, she would occasionally catch glimpses of him smiling. She always knew he was a devoted father to Poemi, and this still showed through whenever the demon girl would interrupt her father during work or during some evenings while they were eating dinner or in the common area relaxing. 

Poemi mentioned Ivlis had gotten lazy with the paperwork after she left. That was her job, after all. He let her handle those matters while she had been active. Now, Rieta could clearly see the stacks of papers that Ivlis had let pile up on not only his desk but all around his office room; she was thankful that he had at least not taken all of these materials to the main throne room. Though, despite all of the sorting and reorganizing Rieta had to do – much to Ivlis’s embarrassment that he had let things slide so much over the years – the demon found herself smiling all the while. If this was how she could best serve her lord, then so be it.

Devoted service…. That was all Rieta wanted to do for her lord; anything more would be simply selfish of her, she told herself.

Keeping active during the days was helping Rieta distract her mind from that evening, though, nighttime is when she found herself thinking a bit too often about Ivlis once again. She would sigh lying in her bed, staring up at the red canopied curtains around her own bed, still recollecting on that one evening she had given in to her own selfish desires. Of course, Ivlis had pursued this as well, yet she could not help but wonder if he was having such thoughts and questions flowing like water in his own brain. If he was, he did not let it show; then again, neither did she. Rieta would find herself sighing out most nights as her soon tired mind and body would let her drift off into slumber. She was not particularly confused as to what she was feeling, but a part of her could not help but wonder if that one evening would forever “haunt” her. What had her fearing the most was the possibility that Ivlis might be regretting this. Is that why he had not said anything to her about this? He had not pursued any further intimacy, nor did she. Yet all was in order when working side by side, as if nothing had ever happened. Perhaps that is the way things should be. Perhaps she was just overthinking things and trying to add her own spin on things. Had she not told herself earlier that she did not want that intimacy to cause a rift in their relationship? No such thing was occurring, so all was well, wasn’t it?

Day after day, Rieta allowed herself to focus on her duties and spend time with Ivlis and his family once more. She would remain content with her work and with the chance to be close to those she had longed to see for all these years.

This evening, Rieta was sitting on the sofa with Emalf, mindlessly watching a television program that he had going – something about singing karaoke. She was honestly not paying much attention, though Emalf seemed to enjoy it, his amber eyes focused on the glowing of the screen. This was one of the few times that Rieta saw him without his shades on; part of her laughed to herself imagining him always wearing those silly dark things even while sleeping with how obsessed he was with them. Well, at least he was smart enough to not wear them while watching television. The rest of the room was darkened with the torches extinguished and the sky darkened except for the red glow of the moon this night.

Lying on the floor were Poemi and Licorice. Both children had insisted on staying up to watch the show with Emalf, both munching on a small assortment of sweets. Now, both lie asleep, sprawled out on the floor among their lollipop and candy wrappers. Rieta couldn’t help but shake her head at such childlike behavior of two demons; though, she supposed they were indeed children. It brought a smile to her face. As the music and chatter on the television continued, Rieta realized that this was quite comforting.

This was truly the way things were supposed to be, weren’t they?

A few minutes of continual television chatter echoed throughout the room, and Rieta soon found her head rotating to the right to stare at the flame demon resting his head against his curled-up right fist as he slouched down on the couch cushions. “Emalf?” she began, not quite sure what she was even wanting to ask, but feeling like she should say something – anything to help quiet some of the questions that lingered in the crevices of her mind.

“Hmm?” The demon rotated his head to face Rieta now, still lounged out. With his shades and usual jacket off, remaining only in his simple gray t-shirt and typical red and black pants, Emalf almost looked like a different demon. “What’s up, Rieta?” he asked. The familiar mannerism with which he spoke soon told Rieta enough that this was for sure the real Emalf.

Almost smiling at that thought, Rieta found her eyes once more traveling over the sleeping children on the floor, particularly Licorice. That immediately sparked a reoccurring question she had not realized had been lurking in the recesses of her mind. “Emalf, what can you tell me about the father of Licorice?” Her ruby eyes then darted over to Emalf to finish up the real issue that plagued her. “When did he start coming around to harm Lord Ivlis?”

Emalf’s mouth hung open a moment as he tried to process Rieta’s question. Unsure what to say to such a thing, Emalf raised his left claw up to scratch sheepishly at his left cheek, as if he had a sudden itch. “I, uh, I’m not quite sure what you mean about that, Rieta. That dude’s been coming around for a long time.”

Rieta naturally wanted to roll her eyes at that. She already knew that from Ivlis having told her how that Reficul had introduced the two of them. What she wanted was…? What did she really want to know? In the sea of confusion, Rieta honestly could not be sure. Still, she persisted. Perhaps the words would form together the more she tried to piece them into coherent patterns. “I know that, Emalf,” she replied, a bit of annoyance in her tone, almost feeling embarrassed at having asked such a thing. Now that she was here, she decided to commit to this line of questioning. “I suppose what I really want to know is…what does that man mean to Lord Ivlis?” Her gaze once more returned to Licorice, still slumbering on the floor, a red lollipop still clutched in his right fist. “How did he have a child with such a man?”

Emalf’s eyes now turned to the sleeping boy on the floor. Rieta could see a tiny smile at the edges of his lips. That simple little action showed Rieta that the demon cared for this boy.

“He’s a good kid, that Licorice,” Emalf began. “A strange one, but a good one.” Emalf turned his gaze back to Rieta once more, continuing on. “Ivlis actually brought Licorice home one day. Cute baby, if I had to say so. Guess I was kinda like a caretaker to the little dude.” Emalf chuckled for a moment, reminiscing on a past memory. “You should have seen the look on Poemi’s face when Ivlis brought Lico home; never seen her so surprised in my life.” Emalf’s gaze went back to the sleeping child, his amber eyes now looking as if he was concentrating on something.

After a few seconds of silence between the two, the demon continued. “You know, it’s strange. Licorice wasn’t born from flame; we could tell that immediately based on Lico’s features.” Emalf raised up his left arm, inspecting the scales that covered his hands and forearms, fading off as it reached his elbows. “Guess it makes sense looking back on it now why Mr. Ivlis was missing for so long.”

“Because of the pregnancy and birth.” Even speaking those words left a bitter taste in Rieta’s mouth. To imagine that Ivlis had been coerced into bearing a child with such a man….

Emalf now turned to Rieta, a look of confusion and surprise across his features. “He, uh, he told you about that stuff?” Though, Emalf supposed he shouldn’t really be surprised. Lord Ivlis was not exactly known to talk with others about such personal matters, let alone his feelings. Emalf had always suspected that Ivlis was close to Rieta in some way; her knowing about the pregnancy only further confirmed his suspicions. In a way, he was glad that at least Mr. Ivlis was talking to someone. Sometimes the way Ivlis would act or react to certain situations worried the demon, wondering just how Ivlis’s mental state was truly doing. With Rieta around now, perhaps Ivlis could have someone he finally could confide in.

Rieta looked off towards her left, not quite wanting to meet Emalf’s gaze. In a way, she felt she had revealed something private without meaning to. However, Emalf clearly knew enough; Licorice being around was proof enough of that. What disturbed Rieta was the method on how the child was created. Her hands now in her lap, Rieta found herself scrunching up her flowing pants between her long claws as she realized what the birthing process potentially meant.

“Emalf, do you think…. Do you think Lord Ivlis actually…cares for that Satanick?” She blurted out the question before she even had a moment to consider her words. In many ways, her thoughts were muddled even if they were pressed into the crevices of her mind. Nonetheless, they sprung forth anytime she thought of Ivlis and what he had endured.

When Emalf did not immediately respond, Rieta found him staring at her with mouth slightly agape, his features highly confused as he tried to formulate words to her seemingly absurd question. “I, uh, I don’t quite know what you mean, Rieta,” was all Emalf could offer her.

Ah, of course; Emalf couldn’t possibly understand what Rieta was thinking, let alone feeling in her murky mind. Despite her annoyance at Emalf’s aloofness and the implications of Licorice’s birth, Rieta let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes momentarily with a shake other head. “Never mind. It’s nothing, really.” She paused a moment before continuing. “Thank you, Emalf.” With that, Rieta stood up, releasing her grip on her harem-like pants to clasp her hands together in front of her instead.

“I suppose it’s time for me to retire to bed. I’m a bit tired.” With a tiny smile at the still obviously befuddled demon, Rieta slipped past him, her light clothing swishing around her as she headed out of the living room and down the hall to her right, her soft slippers barely audible on the smooth flooring.

As the noise of Emalf’s karaoke program began to fade, Rieta shuffled down to a halt. Suddenly, she felt so drained. As to the real reasoning behind this, she honestly could not explain it. Was it from Emalf’s lack of understanding to the seriousness of the matter…or was it her own? True, she had not been around for a long time, and quite a lot had occurred in those decades. Even so, Rieta felt that Lord Ivlis surely could never care for his own tormentor….

Yet a sleeping demon child was proof enough that somehow – someway – Ivlis had birthed that boy. Obviously, Rieta did not know all the inner workings of Ivlis or how his being processed pregnancy, let alone birth. Nonetheless, she felt a bit…disillusioned as how all of this could even be possible. The only thing that was clear was that Ivlis had somehow manifested enough “love” to bring forth a new child – one not created by his own flames.

Shaking her head so her long hair swished around her, Rieta made her way back to her bedroom, shutting out the light from the torches lining the hallway. She rested the back of her head against the hard, wooden door, letting out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes. Inside, she felt an inner turmoil that she could not quite identify. It highly disturbed her that her lord had dealt with so much since her absence, and it sickened her to imagine that Ivlis had become pulled into a “relationship” with such a fiend. Was it brainwashing? Simply fear? Or was there more that she was just not comprehending?

How could this have happened to someone as tender and sensitive as Ivlis? Nobody knew him like she did….

Rieta had told herself not to dwell on the evening of carnality and love making, yet Rieta could not help but be reminded of the way Ivlis had treated her. He had been gentle yet rough enough to command attention. Even now, she could recall the look of determination and concentration on his face as he had hovered over her. Rieta found herself placing her right claws over her chest, feeling her heart beat increasing and a warmth spreading throughout her body.

No.

No; she could not afford to let these intrusive thoughts get the better of her. They had shared only one evening of love making; that did not mean they were in any sort of coupling.

Allowing herself to slide down the length of the door to the floor, Rieta curled her knees up to her chest as she wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her forehead on this makeshift cushion to rest her weary mind.

“Just what is going on with me?” Rieta whispered aloud to herself. Sadly, no answer echoed back to her. It was all still a muddled mess that floated around in bits inside the swamp of her mind.


	9. Weak Point

Days seemed to pass by with nary an outward care for Ivlis. In many ways, things felt relatively normal again. Well, normal in the sense that he was able to go through the motions of daily living. In some strange way, Ivlis felt fairly…content. Well, at first he did. He had determined that this was simply from the fact that he had shared an evening with Rieta where he could once more feel like his old self – a time when he was able to command and control things a bit better than he could during these present times. It had only been sex, but Ivlis found himself feeling more powerful from this release.

Still, even with the prideful feelings slowly returning to him, Ivlis could not help but let the same thing that had brought him some semblance of power also be the same thing that was eating at him. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Ivlis was feeling highly conflicted inside about that one fateful evening. It was not that he regretted the act of love making with Rieta; rather, it was the guilt of convincing himself that he had somehow used her for his own selfish gain. That had never been the intention – nor was it ever going to be – yet Ivlis mentally berated himself every unseen opportunity he got when alone with his thoughts.

 _Despicable_ , he would tell himself, casting his own eyes down in shame as he reprimanded himself. Every nag of his self-deprecating thoughts ate at his mind bit by bit like an annoying cockroach stuck inside the crevices of his brain. Rationally, Ivlis knew that he had not really done anything wrong; after all, they were two consenting adults. So why did he feel as if he had used his most trusted confidant? That thought alone pierced through his heart.

Never.

Not ever did he want to use Rieta for his own selfish gain, yet desire had somehow made him into a foolish puppet, led by the whims of the flesh and his own ego.

Of course, Ivlis would never say these things aloud to anyone but himself. He had not really even given much time or attention to speaking it over with Rieta. He was not exactly the type to run to someone with his problems, but even he found it peculiar that he had not exactly talked things over with her. How was Rieta even feeling about all of this? At this point in time, a week had gone by; clearly too much time had passed since their intimate encounter. With such a gap in time, Ivlis felt that by now it would only be dragging up the past. In retrospect, he was tired of doing such a thing.

That’s all he had done over these decades to begin with….

No, dredging up the past would only hurt everyone in the process. For now, Ivlis would remain silent and keep his inner turmoil to exactly just that; nothing more. Wasn’t the expression that time healed all wounds? He couldn’t help but scoff at such a silly notion. If time really was a healer, then why was it taking so long for him to escape the shackles that bound him inside his own mental prison? Besides, Rieta seemed perfectly fine. Not once had she even looked upset towards Ivlis with how much time they had been spending together. Sure, it was all business-per-usual related, but Ivlis would have thought that Rieta would be honest with him; at least, he hoped so.

“Just let it be, Ivlis,” he reprimanded himself. “Stop this nonsense.” Ivlis spoke aloud as he sat on the edge of his bed, gripping at long the peak of his hair near his forehead. Maybe if he grasped hard enough, he could get these thoughts to fad. Wishful thinking, he knew. Letting out a deep sigh of disappointment, Ivlis now ran his claws through his long locks as they draped around him. It was evening already, and he had decided it was more comfortable to sleep with his hair down than in his usual ponytail. Still dressed in his black turtleneck sweater and equally black pants, Ivlis decided this was good enough to fall asleep in. Sliding back onto his bed, Ivlis flopped backwards onto the pillows, staring up at the canopied curtains around him as his hair splayed out around him.

 _Just what am I supposed to do?_ Honestly, Ivlis didn’t know anymore.

What could he do?

What should he do?

What was the right thing to do?

Question after question replayed in his mind as he shut his eyes to the world around him, only to find himself trapped in another world of his own making.

Ivlis silently prayed that sleep would soon overtake him so he could at least escape these things. Though, the possibility of nightmares was always a plague to his mind, as well.

As Ivlis finally felt the first wash of tiredness flowing over him, a loud thump startled him awake. His eyes flung open as he sat up, looking for the source of the disturbance. It had sounded like something had hit his window or his door. Was it just another flame bat that had gotten disoriented and bonked into the glass? Most likely it was Licorice looking to spend another evening sleeping in Mama’s bed.

Ivlis quickly glanced over to the bedroom door, preparing to slide out of bed to go find Licorice yet again standing outside his door, clinging to his pillow due to "scary dreams." Ivlis suspected that the boy had been using that excuse for a while now, but he chose not to correct him on this for the time being. However, before he fully committed getting up, Ivlis felt a hot breeze lightly brush against him from behind.

The window.

It was open. 

No flame bat could do that.

Ivlis’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach as it simultaneously began to bang in his chest as he realized what this meant. Rotating his neck to look over his right shoulder, Ivlis found the sleep-disturbing culprit standing there in his typical black suit, white dress shirt, and tie. Those spiraling, tree-like horns that sprouted from his messy black hair were the only other color attached to this man, just as violet as his piercing irises on Ivlis.

 _You’ve got to be kidding me_ , Ivlis silently cursed inside of his mind. Satanick had the most rotten timing. Why did it have to be tonight?! Ivlis began to seriously consider that he was truly cursed to suffer.

The devil from the Pitch Black World soon stood in front of Ivlis, who was perched on the edge of his bed. Ivlis naturally backed away into the center of his bed, trying to distance himself from this man as he smiled cheerfully down at the clearly disturbed devil.

“What the hell do you want now?” Ivlis managed to snap at Satanick. He was already agitated from his own mental torture that he did not want to have to deal with Satanick of all people tonight. Why couldn’t he just rest?! Ivlis supposed someone like him didn’t deserve even the luxury of sleep.

“You’ve been a bad boy, Buri-chan; not coming to see me in so long.” Satanick offered a toothy grin with a mischievous look on his face. “So I thought I’d come visit you.” The way he smiled so gleefully was as if this was the most natural thing in the world that he was proposing to Ivlis. Still, the man continued on. “I think you need a little discipline in the form of some old-fashioned lovin’.”

Ivlis knew that this was always the reason for Satanick’s impromptu visits. This devil had the libido of a rabbit, constantly expressing his zest for “life.” Knowing that tonight was going to be a restless one, Ivlis subconsciously determined that it would do no good to run away from this man. Where was he honestly supposed to go? No hiding space would keep Satanick from finding him. Still, Ivlis’s shaking extremities told him to move – to do something to try to avoid the inevitable. As Ivlis went to turn to make his way off the bed on the opposite side of Satanick, Ivlis knew that turning his back on the man was the worse decision he could have made. He now felt the mattress sink in as Satanick climbed atop the bed right behind Ivlis. Droplets of sweat slid down Ivlis’s forehead and back as he felt the trepidation course through his veins. Satanick’s arms and hands now on him, Ivlis tensed up as he unconsciously allowed the man to take hold of him. Ivlis wanted to run – to scream – but what would even be the point?

_Maybe I really do deserve this…._

Satanick had no qualms about reaching behind Ivlis to bend him in an awkward position. Ivlis’s breath hitched in his throat as the devil used his left arm to swoop underneath Ivlis’s left armpit and then his left knee, his hand gripping onto Ivlis’s kneecap as he spread the devil open. Ivlis immediately felt his face and hair beginning to glow as he became angered and embarrassed. Sitting behind him, Satanick now used his right leg to place over Ivlis’s as the flame devil naturally went to try to curl his body up so as to not be placed in such an awkward position. Satanick then snaked his right arm around Ivlis’s right arm, pinning it down as his right hand splayed out his long fingers across Ivlis’s chest. The flame devil immediately tightened up, knowing all too well the familiar adrenaline that began to pump even harder through his veins.

_Not again!_

“S – Stop,” Ivlis croaked out as he tried to control the sensations traveling through his body. As his heart began to pump faster, he could practically hear the blood rushing through his veins. _Not again_ , he told himself. No matter how much this occurred, he would never get used to this feeling. Satanick was clearly a man with a high sex drive, and it showed with how skillful his hands were. Ivlis hated that thought – that this man was “trained” in these matters, and now he was using them on him. Squirming in Satanick’s grip, Ivlis tried to wrench himself free, if ever so slightly. “Let me go, Satanick.”

“Ah!” Ivlis found himself gasping out as Satanick bent his mouth to the right side of Ivlis’s neck, his warm yet cooling breath now on his skin as he nuzzled the turtleneck out of his way. Satanick took a deep breath in, breathing in his scent. Ivlis shuddered at this sensation, and he felt goosebumps traveling across his skin when Satanick stuck his tongue out to lick at Ivlis’s skin, tasting the salt on him. Ivlis gritted his teeth as he felt tears stinging at his eyes while his cheeks burned and his body immediately began reacting to this man’s mouth. “I said to stop!” Ivlis groaned, his voice raising a bit more as he struggled to hold back these feelings that flooded him. As much as he hated himself, Ivlis still could not abandon that bit of pride that yelled at him to avoid falling even deeper into this trap.

Satanick chuckled as he trailed his fingers over Ivlis’s chest, feeling him through his sweater. Black looked good on him, but so did nothing at all. With a grin on his lips as he licked and now nibbled at the crook of Ivlis’s right shoulder and neck, Satanick’s fingers found Ivlis’s slightly hardened nipple, rolling his index finger over the nub. The more it puckered, the more he felt Ivlis wriggling in his grasp to try to escape. Be that as it may, Ivlis truly was not attempting to _fully_ escape; of course he wouldn’t – Satanick knew that all too well about this man. Moan and groan as he might, Ivlis never fought against these advances. True, he wouldn’t dare try; he had already tried to kill the devil lord the evening he wound up pregnant with Licorice. Ivlis would never be a match for him; they both knew this. Still, it only fueled Satanick’s sadism to feel Ivlis feebly “escape.”

Pinching Ivlis’s right nipple now between his thumb and forefinger, Satanick delighted to hear Ivlis whimper in both pain and pleasure. With both his arms incapacitated with how Satanick held him, Satanick played with the nub for a while as he pulled his head up from Ivlis’s neck to give that devilish and cocky grin of his watching Ivlis try to stifle his moans by tightly pressing his lips together. Though, that pink and red blush across his face – and the tint of fiery orange to his hair – was a clear betrayer of how Ivlis was feeling. Sure, he was angry, but Satanick also knew that this man “glowed” when turned on. 

“Don’t fight it, Ivlis. Go on, and moan for me,” Satanick cooed. “I missed you, you know.”

“Ghh,” Ivlis choked out in his throat between clenched teeth as he tried to stop the feelings coursing in his body and down his loins. Why?! Why did this always happen? More and more he found himself going along with Satanick’s whims. He hated himself for this – for allowing this man’s touch to even excite him. It was all thanks to these years of abuse; that’s all it was. Now Ivlis was too accustomed to this man’s touch. His hands could be rough but tender all in the same touch, unlike Rieta's....

Rieta.

Not now. Not now. Ivlis could not afford to think of this right now! 

How did this man always seem to know when to strike when Ivlis was mentally at his weakest?

Ivlis was pulled from his thoughts once he felt Satanick rotating them. Ivlis found himself being forced onto his back as Satanick now straddled him. Seeing the man’s face filled with such delight had Ivlis’s eyes widening and shaking.

Satanick had himself propped up on all fours as he stared down at the trembling figure of Ivlis. Despite the visible shaking, Satanick could see the rapid rising and falling of his chest as he gasped in hurried breaths. Protest he might, but the pink blush across Ivlis’s cheeks always told Satanick a different story. Even when Ivlis raised his palms up to push at Satanick’s chest, Satanick felt that slight hesitation. One could easily chalk that up to Ivlis not wanting to fight back against him; after all, both men knew that Ivlis would be no match for Satanick. Still, that bit of holding back told Satanick much more about Ivlis than even Ivlis cared to admit.

Pleased with how things were moving along, Satanick eagerly began phase two of their evening together. His left hand moved downwards to pin Ivlis’s right shoulder in place as his right traveled down the length of Ivlis’s torso to find the edge of his turtleneck tucked into the waistband of his pants. He loved to see the flame devil’s pupils dilated to such a large size as he wriggled underneath him. The man’s claws digging into his dress jacket and dress shirt did not bother Satanick in the slightest. In fact, it excited him to know that Ivlis was struggling to control his emotions. This was the best part for the Devil Lord – getting Ivlis to reach his limit.

“It’s been so long since we played together, Ivlis. Come on and play with me.” Satanick’s hot breath spoke down at Ivlis as he began tugging up the sweater to reveal part of Ivlis’s flat, pale stomach. Now with his name on his lips and not the insensitive nicknames Satanick usually gave him, Ivlis reached his breaking point. 

_I can’t. I can’t take this! Not now…!_

Ivlis’s screamed at himself once more, louder and louder as his inner feelings ran rampant in the swamp that was his mind. Why was it always him?

Why?

Why?

Why?!

As the anger, sadness, disgust, humiliation, and lust all began to collide inside of him, Ivlis’s hair began to shine a brighter shade of orange and red as his emotions bubbled over from this well. 

“Get off of me!” he screamed out. He hated to scream like this so late at night. He did not want anyone else to know what was happening in here. Not Emalf; not Poemi; not Licorice…. Not Rieta….

As tears stung the backs of his eyes, the sound of wood being slammed open echoed in the room. Both devils turned their heads to the sudden interruption, feeling the draft from the bedroom doors as they were shoved wide open.

Ivlis’s fear of others discovering this sinful moment was now becoming reality.

Standing right in the opening of the double doors with her arms spread wide was the petite form of Rieta.


	10. Jealousy

Rieta had only begun to start drifting to sleep, relieved that rest would be granted to her somewhat weary mind. The first few muffled noises she did not pay much mind to, as she assumed that perhaps Emalf, Ivlis, or one of the younger demons were talking amongst themselves. She tried to tune it out, not thinking too much about it. Yet, she felt an odd disturbance inside herself that would not allow her to relax. Whatever this was – perhaps just her heightened emotions interfering with her rational thinking – Rieta found herself listening to the distant sounds. It sounded like male voices, and one was definitely that of Ivlis. However, his tone….

Despite her exhaustion, Rieta could not leave this alone. Letting out a light sigh at her own stubborness and curiosity, Rieta had slipped off her bed, out of her room, and quietly down the hallway. Following the sounds after observing that no one was down the hall except for herself, Rieta realized that the voices were coming from Ivlis’s room. She hated that this side of her was becoming an eavesdropper, yet the nagging at her brain told her to go investigate what had Ivlis sounding almost upset. 

The closer she got, the demon’s heart began to pump faster in her chest as she feared being reprimanded for listening in to Ivlis and…whoever he was talking to. However, the voice that responded back to Ivlis’s sounded deeper and almost…familiar.

That voice….

Even with it being hushed thanks to the walls and doors of the castle, Rieta felt trepidation and ice running through her veins as she feared what was occurring.

Why?

Why was that man in Lord Ivlis’s room?!

Rieta’s fears were soon confirmed when she heard Ivlis yell out, “Get off of me!” Snooping or not, Rieta could not allow this to stand! The ice that had spread through her now melted away as Rieta felt a hot anger burning spreading inside of her veins. What was this man doing to her Lord?!

Abandoning all line of reasoning or rationale, Rieta grasped onto the door handles, flinging them wide open with a bang. Her eyes went immediately to the scene in front of her – Ivlis lying flat on his back, his eyes large and burning bright as his much as his hair was. What disturbed Rieta was seeing that man with the tree-like horns straddling Ivlis, his one hand pinning Ivlis’s shoulder down while the one clutched at the bottom of Ivlis’s sweater as he yanked it up. She hated to see Ivlis in such a compromising position; his cheeks were pink, his eyes looked slightly glassy with tears and now shock, and she could see him gripping onto that man’s jacket and shirt. Now, that same perpetrator was staring right back at Rieta, his violet eyes a bit widened at the sudden interruption. However, he soon gave a sly grin over at Rieta, as if he was enjoying himself; that thought alone fueled Rieta with such anger that she visibly clenched her fists together as she could feel her blood boiling. Her eyes narrowed, shocked and determined – all the emotions seemed to collide across her expression and in her body language.

A horrible, sick feeling washed over Rieta as she stared at this scene in front of her. This fiend had the audacity to barge in here to assault her lord. Rage soon drowned out the ill feelings; instead, she fed on this, allowing it to spur her on. Leaping forward without a second's hesitation, Rieta swiped her right claw at this black-haired monster, ready to slice into him. “Stay away from Lord Ivlis!”

Before she even made contact with him – a few mere millimeters from this man’s smirking face and deep purple eyes, he disappeared. Rieta wound up swiping at the empty air over Ivlis. She quickly twirled around when she felt the dark presence behind her. As she was poised to make her next attack, the devil soon had his right hand wrapped tightly around her throat. Rieta gasped at the immense pressure he squeezed around her throat, trying to gulp in air. As painful as this might be, she was absolutely set on not allowing any harm to come to Ivlis. She swiped at this devil’s arm, digging her claws into his black-clad suit. Even with the fabric in the way, it was no match to stop her claws from deeply cutting into his flesh. She felt satisfied when the devil winced a bit in pain, seeing the blood now seeping through the black fabric, onto her nails, and splattering a bit onto the floor. Her victory was soon short-lived, as she watched the devil’s face turn into a wide, slasher smile. A dark presence seemed to exude from him as a long, dark cape draped around him.

Rieta soon found herself held up off of the ground by nothing but her throat, the devil’s grip not letting up. Gasping and grunting, she continued to claw at his arm, even swinging her black flats at him, hoping that she would land a kick to his torso. However, he was almost a foot her height, and he grinned as he held her straight out above him, her back now being shoved into one of the canopy's supporting poles of Lord Ivlis’s bed. No amount of pain as she tore into this devil’s arm seemed to deter him as blood dripped steadily onto the floor and over this man's right arm. Had she truly gotten so much weaker from being trapped inside that lamp all of these years? Was she no longer even a demon?

As she was lost in her own thoughts and fixation to attack, she could hear Ivlis screaming at the man. Funny; everything was starting to sound a bit more distant – as if his voice was echoing through water. “Satanick! Stop! Please! Let her go!”

Right… Satanick…. This was the devil that had given Ivlis those horrible scars; that caused him so much torment….

Even as her mind began to fog and her lungs screamed for air, Rieta screamed at herself to fight even harder. This man had to pay for what he had done to Ivlis! Yet, as much as she struggled, the grip on her throat only seemed to increase, and the fog over her mind and eyes soon began to fade into a black haze as she watched this fiend’s shadowy face grin up at her.

Satanick grinned as he watched this pathetic excuse of a demon squirm in his grip. Her long red claws definitely smarted as she continued to swipe at his arm and hand to release his grip, but soon the slicing pain began to fade and slow down as he watched those red eyes of hers begin to glaze over, her gritted teeth soon opening as he choked her. A bit of drool slid out of the corner of her mouth as she tried so desperately to gulp in air didn’t bother Satanick as it reached his hand; it only made him squeeze tighter. This filthy little beast had seriously just tried to attack him, so watching her suffer even a bit pleased him.

“Satanick! Please!” He turned to face Ivlis, who was now at his side, clinging to his arm that was holding this girl up. So, was the roach going to try to fight back against him, too? How sweet of him to try to defend such a low demon. Satanick hated that their evening had been so rudely barged in upon, but he could forgive that in some ways. What he found trouble forgiving was this demon’s brazenness to suddenly attack him. It was not often that Satanick found himself having to exercise his powers for defense; only on rare occasions did he do such a thing. Of course, Ivlis had experienced that first-hand the night he had tried to impale him in his own bed with one of his light projectiles. The bit of power he felt coursing through him had Satanick feeling like his old self in some ways….

Tilting his head back on his neck slightly, Satanick bore his gaze into Ivlis’s shaking eyes. “And why should I let her go? Hmm? She tried to attack me just now.”

“I mean it, stop!” Ivlis’s grip tightened around Satanick’s arm. This only caused Satanick’s eyes to narrow again, hating that Ivlis was weakly trying to stop him. He knew this flame devil would never fight back against him; Ivlis surely knew the consequences if he did. 

Ivlis instinctively wanted to shout out that Rieta was finally back home after all these years; that someone so special to him had finally returned. But he held back, biting his tongue. If he said anything remotely like that, Satanick could easily kill her if he desired to. After all, why should Satanick’s “pet” have anything special? Not sure what else to say or do, Ivlis hung his head, pleading with Satanick now. He loosened his grip on Satanick’s arm as he begged him, “Please, I’ll do anything! Just please let her go.”

Such nauseating feelings raced through the pit of Ivlis’s stomach and up his esophagus as he watched this horror unfold before his eyes. He could not allow Rieta to suffer for his sake. She had already been through enough thanks to him. Even being trapped inside that lamp was entirely his fault as she had tried to defend him that day. Now, it was his turn to protect her. Yes, he feared what Satanick was capable of, especially at a moment like this when he was slightly different. Ivlis did not quite remember everything the night Licorice was conceived, but he could clearly remember his failed attempt at ridding the world of this devil. In retrospect, Ivlis realized how foolish that was of him. How he had tried to convince himself that he was capable of killing Satanick with what little power he had left thanks to that black devil in that Gray world – utter foolishness. The Satanick back then had told him he was no match for the “me right now,” whatever that had meant. Now, Ivlis could see that same energy radiating from Satanick once more thanks to Rieta’s attack. What the “him right now” was capable of, Ivlis was not sure, but he absolutely could not allow Rieta to be the guinea pig to find out. 

Satanick raised an eyebrow at Ivlis’s pleading. Well, he had to admit, he liked seeing this docile and powerless – well, more than usual – side to Ivlis. Pleased with this, Satanick lightly loosened his grip on the girl’s throat. She made a slight squeaking noise as she gasped in air, and Ivlis immediately looked towards her. Satanick wasn’t sure he liked how the flame devil’s eyes darted so quickly to stare at her. After all, he longed for Ivlis to give him that type of attention like he gave to him. “Well, go on,” Satanick prompted Ivlis, who now looked back at the devil. “Keep begging. I didn’t say you could stop, did I?” Glancing down at the floor and then back up at Ivlis with a smirk, Satanick wordlessly commanded Ivlis to get down on his knees to beg. Watching the flame devil’s clearly embarrassed expression, he began to loosen up his grip ever so slightly so the girl could begin to get oxygen back to her brain; he didn’t want her to pass out and miss this show. She had called Ivlis “lord,” so she must surely be a follower of his; though, Satanick couldn’t ever recall seeing her around here before except for the night he had come back for his goodbye hug from Licorice.

Well, if she was so devoted to Ivlis, Satanick wanted to make sure she knew who was in charge of this roach – _his_ roach; to have her see her lord begging Satanick for her to be spared.

Feeling humiliated at having to plead so pitifully like this, but willing to do whatever it took for Rieta to be released, Ivlis lowered himself to his bedroom floor onto his knees. He stared up at the revolting scene above him – of this devil hurting someone he cared for. Swallowing his pride, Ivlis pleaded once again, “Please, I’m begging you. Please let her go, Satanick.”

“Okey doke!” Satanick soon grinned, tossing Rieta to the side, but not too far; after all, he didn’t want to kill the girl by slamming her into the wall. As Satanick released her, Rieta landed with a thud onto the floor, grunting and gasping as she coughed to get air and feeling back into her windpipe. The black aura began to dissipate from around Satanick, and soon that long, tattered-at-the-edges cape whooshed away from his form, as well.

“Rieta!” Ivlis called out, ready to jump up to his feet to go aide her. Ivlis was the next one to grunt as his hair was gripped in Satanick’s hand, being yanked up slightly more so his knees didn’t quite hit the floor. Ivlis raised his hands up to grip onto Satanick’s wrist, hoping to stave off some of the pain of his hair being pulled. He squinted his eyes as he hissed through his teeth, feeling tears slightly burning his eyes from the pull on his hair and the drive he had to make sure Rieta was truly okay.

“I didn’t say you could get up yet, Buri-chan,” Satanick cooed down at him with a smile. Turning his gaze over to Rieta, who was now sitting herself up, her red eyes glowing in anger, Satanick waggled his left index finger at her. “Uh uh, girly,” he addressed her. With a tug to Ivlis’s hair – the flame devil giving a slight yelp at being yanked forward so he was directly at Satanick’s feet – Satanick kept his gaze locked on Rieta. “You know, you don’t look half-bad. I could see the three of us having a great time together, though I suppose you would be on the very bottom. I, of course, must be on top of dear Buri-chan here.”

Disgusting!

Rieta swallowed back the lump in her throat when seeing her lord being pulled around so easily and the filth this man spoke about. How dare he put her lord in this position?! Ready to sprint forward again – perhaps she could attack him from the side a bit better now? – Satanick sighed out, putting his left hand on his hip, as if annoyed.

“Buri, be a dear and tell your little lover girl to stand down.”

Those words pricked at Ivlis’s heart as he thought about the ramifications of what Satanick was saying. He had called Rieta Ivlis’s “lover girl.” Did the man suspect something was going on between the two of them? Surely not; Satanick had no reason to. Yet Rieta’s devotion could easily be misconstrued as one of more than just friends. Ivlis also realized that the evening of love making between them certainly did not help matters.

Gritting his teeth, Ivlis debated about what he should honestly be doing. Should he really tell Rieta to stop? Or maybe…they could both team up against this devil? As a small spark of hope ignited in Ivlis, he wondered if it would be possible for the two of them to stand against such a presence as this devil lord. Nevertheless, Ivlis's record of his failed attempt at killing Satanick once before burned into his mind’s eye to never try such an idiotic idea again. 

So, why did Ivlis also feel that his hestiation towards not harming Satanick was stemming from another place? Ivlis deeply resented this sensation; as miniscule as it might be, Ivlis hated to think that somehow - someway - he wanted to spare Satanick. Ivlis knew that was pure stupidity to even think such a thing, yet here it was - that nagging little cockroach once more eating at the edges of his mind. 

Maybe he really was as airheaded as everyone said he was….

Now was not the time for more self-loathing. Ivlis had to secure Rieta’s safety.

“R – Rieta,” he began, locking his eyes onto hers. Her gaze immediately met his, and the two stared at each other for a bit. They had not truly spoken about anything personal since that one night – just the usual chitchat of work and everyday life stuff - yet now felt like the unspoken words that neither of them had said was suddenly hanging in the air. It was thick enough a knife could slice through its tangibility. “Rieta,” Ivlis managed to choke out behind the lump in his chest and throat. “Enough.”

Rieta could feel her heart squeezing at such a simple word. Enough? No; this was clearly not enough! Ivlis had been dealt such a horrible fate at the hands of this man, yet he had the gall to tell her to stand down at such a critical time. Of course, she would never dare say something as offensive and insubordinate to her lord. Still, how could she hold back at a time like this? “But, Lord Ivlis –,” she began, her voice strained and scathing from being choked.

“That’s an order!”

The snap in his voice had Rieta momentarily freeze for a second. She had not heard him raise his voice in quite a while, nor use that command in decades. True as it might be that she would obey every order her lord gave her, it still stung and stabbed at Rieta that Ivlis was ordering her to hold back. Biting the inside of her lower lip to keep from crying out in retaliation – her emotions were so scattered that she wanted to scream and fight back against this injustice – Rieta felt her eyes welling with tears as she nodded. No matter what she may have personally wanted, Rieta would listen to whatever Ivlis told her to do. Surely if he was telling her to stand down, he must have the situation under control in some way, she tried to reason, even if she did not agree with his method. She only hoped and prayed that he did have a method to this madness.

Satanick grinned as he watched this exchange between the two. So, this woman was really a loyal follower to Ivlis. He could understand that type of dedication quite well as he thought of some of his subordinates that remained devoted to him over the years. Still, as Satanick’s eyes drifted back to Ivlis’s face, he saw the way the devil looked at her in a way that Satanick could not quite grasp. It was a look that he had seen on the face of others and perhaps even himself at one point in his life. Was it friendship? Loyalty? Regret? For what, Satanick could only suspect. Slightly releasing his tight grip on the top of Ivlis’s hair, Satanick lowered the man down so his knees touched the bedroom floor once more. His fingers remained tangled in the man’s dark gray locks, as he was not going to let go of Ivlis so easily.

This girl…was she also in love with Ivlis….?

That....

Ivlis now looked back up at Satanick, who had his eyes focused on Rieta. Ivlis could not quite place what was going on in that man’s mind as he stared at Rieta with such an astonished and almost…jealous look across his features. This only confused Ivlis more than he already was. What kind of thing would this sadistic man possibly be jealous over? Ivlis could not be sure; dealing with emotions was not something he was versed in - not for himself, and certainly not regarding others. He understood sympathy and empathy, but what did these expressions even mean? Satanick’s eyes soon veered down at Ivlis still on his knees, his hands still wrapped around Satanick’s grasping hand. Almost immediately Ivlis felt himself shudder – in fear or something else, he could not discern. He could not understand his own emotions, so how could he possibly expect to know what everyone else was experiencing?

“You know,” Satanick’s voice broke the tense silence. However, even Ivlis noticed that it sounded a bit deeper in tone, as if pained by something. “I’m not exactly into the whole netorare thing; stealing one’s lover away.” His deep gaze bore into Ivlis’s for quite some time, the two caught in some sort of staring match.

What was this? Why was this man staring at him with a mixture of suspicion, disgust, and…sadness? Ivlis had little time to even try to process such depths as Satanick continued onwards.

“So, Rieta, did you know something about Ivlis?” Satanick began as he bent forward, his face only inches from Ivlis’s, though he addressed the demon off to the side. “I’m quite the inventor, I’ll have you know. And I was able to deduce something very interesting about our dear Buri here thanks to my magnificent technology. Want to see?”

Ivlis’s eyes narrowed as he tried to determine what this devil was speaking about, only to become frazzled once more by this man as he pushed his mouth roughly onto Ivlis’s. Ivlis’s eyes now grew large as he was forcefully kissed. Once again, this man’s mouth was soft yet so cruel. He pushed delicately yet harshly with his mouth while his tongue licked at Ivlis’s lips. Ivlis tried to stifle back moans that wanted to slip past his lips, and once opening his mouth, Satanick took advantage to slip his tongue right in. Ivlis gripped at Satanick’s wrist to try to get him to ease up his hold on his hair and to release his mouth. Satanick merely snickered, his eyes glancing over towards Rieta as he made sure she saw the whole thing.

He loved to see the distressed and disgusted look on her face as he continued to mesh his mouth and tongue into Ivlis. He loved hearing the flame devil moaning and grunting in both pleasure and pain at this. Yes; he had to make sure this trespasser knew just who she was dealing with. Pulling back from Ivlis – who gasped in as much air as he could at such a fast pull-away – Satanick finally released his grip on Ivlis's hair. Ivli's hands naturally slid off of Satanick's wrist as he finally felt relief to his scalp. However, the feelings of release were soon swallowed up once more as Satanick crouched down and reached out to grip onto Ivlis’s crotch. Both Ivlis and Rieta displayed such shocked looks that Satanick couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You see,” he continued as he looked back and forth between the two of them. “Ivlis is gay. I can already feel how hard he’s getting from me just kissing him.” He began to rub Ivlis through his pants, only causing the flame devil to grit his teeth as he kneeled frozen in place. He loved to see such a humiliating hue of red across this man’s cheeks as pinpricks of tears could be seen in the corners of Ivlis’s eyes.

“In other words, dear Rieta, Ivlis belongs to me.” 


	11. Selfish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry to have kept you all waiting! The holidays got me pretty busy, and of course some work irl, but I have not forgotten this series among my other ones and oneshots. I have quite a few scenes planned and some parts pre-written for this series (among others), so hoping that helps speed up the process this year. 
> 
> Thank you all for being so kind and sticking around with me. Love you all, and I wish you all the best, best new year! God bless! <3

Satanick’s violet eyes bore into Ivlis’s teary ones as he glanced back and forth between the kneeling flame devil and his cohort. Both of their faces held a mixture of sorrow, pain, hatred, and confusion. Satanick himself could understand these feelings perfectly; he, too, had experienced these same raw emotions most of his immortal existence. The ironic thing is that these same feelings were now all being experienced by each of the participants in this room. Still, another emotion and drive was calling out to him to continue where he had left off. “Run along now, Rieta,” Satanick said, releasing his hand off of Ivlis’s crotch to wave his hand at her to shoo her away.” Ivlis and I still have plans for the evening.” The devil now turned his gaze down at the frustrated tears of the flame devil as he still kept the fingers of his other hand intertwined in Ivlis’s hair. Ivlis’s teeth were gritted in clear embarrassment and anger while small tears gathered at the edges of his eyes. Despite that, Satanick could still see the ruddy complex of his beloved had only gotten redder. He did not have to fully look down to notice that the erection that had been forming in Ivlis’s pants had only grown thanks to Satanick’s forced kisses and rubbing.

One way or another, he would make sure Ivlis’s attention would be focused on him, and on him alone.

Still frozen in shock at what she had just witnessed and heard, Rieta found herself crying out, “W – What are you saying?!” Her mind felt so hazy at this point as this rollercoaster of emotions was dragging her all over the place. “I – I’m not leaving until you do! I won’t allow you to harm Lord Ivlis!” That much was the truth; even in her confounded mindset, Rieta knew that much to remain steady. This loyalty would not be chased away so easily. She steeled herself to remain in place, though slightly on the alert in case Satanick went to harm her lord any further. Her claws were prepared to tear at this cocky man if needed.

Satanick shook his head back and forth, his messy black strands of hair swaying around his face. “Nope, nope,” he cheerfully said in such a condescending tone – as if he had been the victor in this dispute. His eyes never left Ivlis as he spoke to her. Nothing else was said to her in return, only causing the demon to become more agitated and disgusted at this situation.

What could she say? What could she do? If Satanick did not have her lord in such a precarious position at the moment, Rieta would gladly defend his honor. However, a part of her feared this man’s power; such dark energy had radiated from him earlier – just how much did he truly possess? Desperately, Rieta wanted to get him to release Ivlis from his grip. Just what could she do? What could she possibly offer? Seeing how his gaze never left Ivlis’s, Rieta suspected what this man was after – what he had come here for in the first place. Bile rose in her throat as a chill ran down her spine and into her frozen legs. As sickening as it was to offer such a thing to such a disgusting stranger, perhaps this could be enough to satiate this man….

“W – What if you… had me instead?” Rieta was amazed these words came out of her mouth, and she felt the need to try to scoop them back up into her mouth. However, as humiliating as it was to offer herself like this to such a man, she steeled her resolve.

Anything.

She would do anything if it meant Lord Ivlis would be safe.

Satanick’s head now turned towards her, his right eyebrow cocked in curiosity. A confused expression was across his features for only a split second before a smirk spread across his lips. “No, thank you,” he replied with a sickly sweet smile. He turned his gaze back towards Ivlis, placing his left hand alongside the flame devil’s right cheek. “As cute as you might be, Miss Rieta, I have my sights set on somebody else.” His thumb then brushed across Ivlis’s lips, making the demon shudder and growl in the back of his throat. This only caused Satanick to grin more as his eyes became hooded looking at Ivlis with such intensity – such lust. “I don’t think you’d be able to keep up with the likes of me like Roachy can.”

Rieta could feel her heart being squeezed as if in a vice with each word and action this man produced. Why? Why was it like this? And just why was Lord Ivlis not even attempting to fight back against him? Was he truly that scared of him? Her shaky gaze traveled back towards her lord, who’s gaze was locked with Satanick’s. He clearly held contempt for the man that was still gripping his hair and stroking his face – she could see Ivlis’s clear disgust and anger written across his features and with his pointed, gritted teeth.

So, why? Why wasn’t he at least fighting back a bit? Of course, she knew about his powers being sealed away thanks to the Gray world’s devil, but surely the two of them could take on this man. Surely he couldn’t be that powerful.

Foolish, nonsensical thoughts rang through Rieta’s mind as she tried to logically sort this out. She liked to imagine herself as a clear thinker, but times like this left her feeling off kilter. Her extremities began to feel cold as she tried to piece together her last viable options.

“Rieta, go.”

Upon hearing her lord’s voice, Rieta’s attention returned to reality as she focused her attention once more on Ivlis. His eyes were now staring at her, his face partially turned towards her as Satanick’s fingertips had trailed to his chin. His golden eyes appeared to hold a sense of determination in them while simultaneously sparking. And those words…. No…. He could not possibly mean for her to….

“B – But Lord Ivlis – ,” she found herself choking out through her raw and aching throat. Even her mouth felt so dry trying to speak. Everything felt as if it was starting to freeze up despite the warmth of this world.

“Leave!”

It felt as if she had been pierced through the heart with one of Ivlis’s light projectiles with such a single word. How could she leave at a time like this? If she left him, surely he would be taken advantage of by this man! She could not allow that to happen; never! So, why – why did her body and mind scream at her to obey his commands? Of course, she always wanted to do as Lord Ivlis commanded, but this was insane. Did he not realize what was going to happen if she left? Seeing his golden, sparking eyes with a glassy sheen across them, his gritted teeth, and his obvious embarrassment, Rieta knew she had her answer. Of course Ivlis knew what was coming…. He had suffered like this for so long over these years, hadn’t he? An airhead her lord might be, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew what fate was going to meet him, and he seemingly was accepting this in his own way.

But could she?

In this moment, Rieta knew that she had no other choice. Like it or not, she had to follow her lord’s commands.

Mustering up what little movement she felt she could, Rieta attempted to get her frozen limbs to obey her. Tears burning in her ruby red eyes, she bit down on her bottom lip so hard she thought she was going to split it and be met with the familiar taste of copper. With a final glare at Satanick – how she longed to make this man suffer the way he was making them suffer! – Rieta cast an apologetic and pained look towards Ivlis – not to make him sympathize for _her_ pain, but rather that she craved to take some of his if she could. Her flowing pants and long sleeves swished around her as Rieta made her way to the bedroom door. Her claws touched the handle, and the tightening inside of her chest and throat only grew as she knew that as soon as she left this room, Ivlis would be at the mercy of Satanick once more.

Why?

How could he allow this to happen?

How could _she_ allow this to happen?

Loyal to a fault, the small demon yanked open the door, quickly slipping out; she did not even have a chance to close it behind herself, as she could practically feel it bump her out the rest of the way, forced shut by someone’s magic. The locking mechanism could now be heard being clicked into place; that was when Rieta dropped to her knees. A simple lock would not stop her from emerging into the room once more.

No; what prevented her was her undying fealty to her lord and following his every wish.

As Rieta felt all of her energy being drained from her by her own failures, she reached up to tightly grip at her scalp. She dug her long claws into her hair, knotting it. She did not care; all she cared about right now was the innate desire to scream at the top of her lungs. An unquenchable flame was burning her up from the inside as hot tears began to pour down her face. Rieta squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she opened her mouth to let out the most painful, silent scream in her life. No sound left her mouth, yet the harshness of it left her jaw aching, her vocal chords strained, and her chest feeling tattered in shreds.

Her silent scream continued on with each shaking, choked sob she sucked in when needing to breathe. It first left her as pathetically weak blubber before she continued to silently cry out her pain. As Rieta’s body caved in on itself – her chest now curled to her thighs – the faintest groans turning into moans could be heard filtering through her lord’s bedroom door. The last saving grace for this demon was being able to stifle out some of it with her palms and long sleeves.

When she had returned to her room, she did not know. What day it was, she honestly could not say. Rieta had drained herself of all of her energy with her tears that her body felt incredibly sore. Her eyes were puffy, her throat and chest raw to the point she felt that she could be internally bleeding, and her head felt like it would split open at any moment. Still, as horrid as she might be feeling, Rieta could only imagine the horror of what Ivlis must be dealing with. How much had that devil done to her lord? Had he hurt him any further than she could last recall? Such mind-numbing thoughts plagued her enough that she forced herself out of bed. Lethargically, Rieta began to gather fresh clothes so she could head down the hallway to a nearby bathroom. A hot shower would do her well to help freshen up, make herself look more presentable, and hopefully clear her mind of the slight darkness that still hung over her like a cloud.

The pristine and clean bathroom was certainly a welcome area to shut herself in as Rieta began to strip down, slipping the red bow from her hair to let her long locks cascade down her back. A quick turn of the knobs brought forth a jet of steady water that progressively warmed up. She soon slipped inside the shower, shutting the glass door behind her. Soon, the enclosed area was filling with warm steam as the pinpricks of water hitting her skin helped loosen and relax her tense muscles a bit more. Her long wet strands clung to her wet body, and she welcomed it. In a way, it reminded her of a shelter – somewhere she could be safe. Wrapping her arms around her body, Rieta’s claw-like fingers traveled over the curve of her left hip and over her black sun marking. Her ruby gaze went to the mark, only to now think about Ivlis once more. A warmth began to fill her chest as she recalled his fingertips tracing this same pattern on her skin. Such a sweet, tender moment that was days ago now seemed like a lifetime. 

Rieta let out a light sigh. No matter what she did, Lord Ivlis would always be at the forefront of her mind, wouldn’t he? It was not that she disliked that idea; in truth, she was always thinking of him after all these decades apart. Now, she had entered his life once more only to be bombarded with a reawakening of old feelings and new emotions alike.

As painful as it was the previous night to be cast out from Ivlis’s predicament, Rieta could only imagine how sore – how fragile – the flame devil must be feeling at a time like this. It was incredibly selfish of her even compare or imagine her pain to that of Ivlis’s. He had lost so much – had so much taken away from him – and yet here she was having her own pity-party. Sliding her arms away from her self-hug, Rieta lightly slammed her left fist against the glass shower door, slightly rattling it. “Get a grip, Rieta,” she reprimanded herself.

Yes. She was simply being selfish. She had no right to compare her pitiful emotions to that of what Ivlis must be enduring. All she wanted… was to see him smile. Just once, she wanted to see him genuinely smile. With her moping around and not dutifully helping him, that would not be an option; she could not allow herself to fail at such a simple thing. As quickly as her body allowed, Rieta finished cleaning herself, using what bit of flame magic she still possessed to quickly dry her hair as she fixed it back into her usual side-ponytail. She dried off and dressed as routinely as ever, soon heading out of the warm solitude of the bathroom to begin the day. Stepping out into the slightly cooler air of the hallway was actually quite reinvigorating. Rieta took a deep breath in through her nostrils, filling them to capacity before steadily exhaling through her parted lips. She reached behind herself to close the door, now having a stable place to rest her back against.

As exhausted as she might be feeling in every aspect of her being, she had a mission to accomplish. Making sure her lord, his home, and his world was safe and sound was all she had to be concerned with. Emotions were simply weighing her down, threatening to drown her in the thick waters of her mind. Thankfully, the warmth of a shower could help clear away some of the tension in her body and brain; a temporary balm, yes, but one she could appreciate.

Taking a final breath in, Rieta determined what must be done. Even after all this time, she knew where her main fealty lie. Her black flats softly shuffling across the tiled flooring of the hallway, Rieta straightened her posture and lifted her chin. Even if she did not feel as confident as she might be trying to present herself as, she had to play the part. The last time she had seen Ivlis had been the night before. Being sent away like that had been horribly painful, yet that did not give her the right to let it loom over her and sulk. If she did, Lord Ivlis would see that and only become more broken - another thing she could not allow, and certainly not by her own hands.

As she made her way to the throne room, Rieta first came across Poemi and Licorice walking and talking amongst them. Per usual, the two seemed to be in good spirits, both greeting Rieta as she came into view. Seeing the two younger demons smiling did help lift Rieta’s mood a bit seeing such innocence and joy exuding from them; well, innocent enough by demon standards, she supposed. Still, she greeted the children, offering them a polite smile in return. “Good morning, Poemi. Good morning, Licorice.”

“Morning, Rieta!” Poemi called out in a chipper tone, seemingly in a hurry to keep walking in the opposite direction of the throne room with Licorice. The boy at least had enough manners to pause and greet Rieta in his own soft voice while Poemi hurried onward.

Rieta turned to look over her left shoulder as the girl meandered on her merry way. Rieta raised an amused yet curious eyebrow at this, turning back to look down at Licorice. “She’s always in such a hurry. Wonder what for.”

The black-haired boy shrugged as he looked listlessly off after his half-sister with those golden eyes – eyes that looked so much like that of Ivlis, Rieta could not help but think. A simple observation, but one that left her heart pricked once more remembering that this boy had been born thanks to the actions of that one man – that same man that had been in her lord’s bed last night. Swallowing back the lump that formed in her throat, Rieta stared down at the boy. His expression seemed a bit downtrodden now that they were closer to each other.

Tilting her head slightly to the left so her long strawberry blonde ponytail draped over her shoulder, Rieta stared at his features. He seemed a bit more lost in thought. Come to think of it, the children had been coming from the opposite direction where she was headed. “Licorice, is everything okay?” She waited for him to raise his gaze up to meet hers. He nodded to acknowledge that everything was well, but the tiny frown on his lips and creases near his eyes told her otherwise.

“I’m okay,” he replied. “But I worry about Mama. He seemed a bit tired today.”

Rieta’s heart once more felt as if it had not just been pricked, but now squeezed as if the child’s hand was gripping at it with his tiny words. “Y – You already saw Lord Ivlis this morning?” she asked. Another confirming nod was given by Licorice, though he did not say much else. Rieta began to feel herself subconsciously worrying that something was amiss with how quiet Licorice was being, though from what she knew of the boy, he did seem to have that trait. Her gaze slowly raised to look down the corridor from where the children had come from, the throne room not far off from their current destination.

“I worry about Mama a lot,” Licorice finally spoke.

Rieta’s ruby eyes once more trailed down to look at the young boy, who was now gazing up at her with those large orange-yellow eyes of his. In a way, his gaze was expectant of something. Rieta soon discovered why when he asked her, “Miss Rieta, maybe you could talk with Mama? To make sure he is okay?” He looked down at his small black shoes as if slightly embarrassed about asking this of her. “I would like to ask Mama myself, but….” He trailed off, not quite finishing his thoughts.

Was he scared? Indecisive? Worried that his mother would be upset with him if he approached such a touchy subject such as his personal feelings? The boy was quite difficult to figure out exactly what was going on inside that head of his, though Rieta could honestly not blame him – she understood that bewildered feeling all too well when considering approaching such a tender topic. It did not exactly aid her knowing the individual they were both speaking about could be a mixture of sensitivity and hot-headedness. Nevertheless, Rieta could see that both of them were in the same predicament – both clearly wanted to check in on how their favorite person was fairing.

Nerve wracking as it might be, Rieta offered a smile down at Licorice, reaching out to place the claws of her right hand atop of his head between his purple horns – horns that resembled Ivlis’s in many ways. A somewhat melancholic look passed her features, though she quickly shunned that feeling aside to keep a tiny smile across her lips as Licorice now lifted his chin to look at the comforting demon. “Don’t worry, Licorice. I’ll make sure to help Mama.” Even saying that title for her lord was still such a foreign thing for her tongue to master. However, her comforting words seemed to placate the boy, as he offered a small smile in return to her.

“Thank you, Miss Rieta,” Licorice replied as she slipped her hand off of his black locks. That color….

Keeping the smile on her face, Rieta momentarily waited while the boy finally meandered down the hallway after a long-gone Poemi. She watched him briefly over her shoulder before facing forward again, releasing a steady exhale. Just when had she started collecting her breath to build up inside of her, ready to burst? Slowly shaking her head, the petite woman briefly closed her eyes to gather her thoughts.

She had already determined to visit with Ivlis this morning, anyway. However, to have seen Licorice had caused her to stumble in her steadiness. The boy clearly loved his mother – that much was apparent with his care over Ivlis’s presenting attitude. Still, seeing the culmination of her lord and his abuser only reminded her of last night once more. A never-ending cycle of confusion and upset seemed to be the reoccurring theme since her return.

 _No_ , she thought to herself as she began to move her heavy legs forward once more. No; not since her return. This had been going on for decades. A few mere days and weeks of her own conglomeration of feelings was nothing to compare to that of those who had been living in this state all along. Shaking her head to free her mind of such selfish thoughts once more, Rieta pulled her shoulders back to straighten her posture once more.

Standing in front of the large, looming double doors of the throne room, Rieta could already envision her lord at the end of the long length of the room, seated on his red throne. Even imagining him with his usual stoic expression when around others had her heart beating fast. As if scenes of a movie were playing out in her mind, Rieta could picture the many looks she had seen cross her lord’s features - his perpetually grumpy and stoic expressions; his small smirks; his downcast and teary eyes….

Everything.

Everything Rieta was, she owed to that moody man.

Realizing she had unconsciously raised her right claw to place over her pounding heart, Rieta slowly lowered it. Another deep breath through her nostrils, and her wandering hand was now pushing open the large right door.

Selfish desires would no longer weigh her down. She could not allow that any further. Not even her own sentiments could get in the way; that much had become clear. 

Everything… would be as Lord Ivlis commanded.


	12. Nostalgic Ruminations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters of a series in one month? Crazy, right? XD 
> 
> I do feel bad when I don't post as frequently as I would like to with updating these series I do, but I am quite happy to even get a little out. So manly ideas, so little time. XD
> 
> But I do hope you all enjoy more for Ivlis, Rieta, and Satanick as this series continues to take shape. Thank you, much love, and God bless! <3

Nothing seemed amiss when she first entered the throne room. The flames that lit both sides of the long passage cast a welcoming warm glow to this otherwise dim room, adding a much needed brightness to the world. The flickering and crackling of the embers were the first sounds that greeted her, soon followed by the voice of Lord Ivlis as he presumably gave a new assignment to Emalf. He had his chin propped against the knuckles of his right hand as he spoke, seemingly looking casual, yet his tone of voice said otherwise. From the gruff way his voice sounded, Rieta assumed it could be a lecture rather than a new task. In a strange way, the way he spoke reminded her of Ivlis from long ago…. Of how he could be rough with his words and tone, yet behind closed doors, she knew just how meek and terrified he was when memories of the past would creep up on him.

Now, last night’s unexpected events flashed before her mind once more – of a scared yet fierce man that allowed dreadful things to take place.

Rieta roughly shook her head from side to side as she tried to shut out those intrusive thoughts once more. It was not his fault that such things took place! She dare not think such idiotic thoughts as to place any amount of blame on him. Still, a part of her found these tumultuous feelings bubbling up as she watched Ivlis bark an order to a clearly taken aback Emalf. In a way, he reminded her of Poemi’s dog. Not that she would dare compare her lord to a creature of such low repute; rather, Ivlis was just like a scared puppy – lost, confused, and back-biting to anyone that dare try to see past his façade.

“Now go,” Ivlis roughly finished telling Emalf. “I’m starting to get a headache.” The man unfurled his fingers to now slide them through the long pieces of hair that framed his face to press them against his temple. He shut his eyes as if to block out any light sensitivities.

Even from the back of the long chamber, Rieta watched a flustered Emalf nod as he responded, “G – Got it, sir.” He turned on his heel to begin walking back down the corridor. He paused slightly upon seeing Rieta standing there, but he continued onwards. The closer he got, the more Rieta took notice of him slightly biting his lip. The jingle of the chain attached to his belt loops on his left hip grew louder as he finally arrived near her side. Slowing down slightly, Emalf glanced over towards Rieta from the corner of his eyes, allowing her to catch a glimpse of his amber eyes that he rarely showed. The demon whispered out, “Careful. He seems a bit upset today.” His word of warning echoed in her mind as he continued on through one of the large double doors.

The thump of the heavy door shutting echoed like a din through the empty hall as Rieta stood still, the only sounds now palpable in the air being that of the crackling fire and her own accelerated heartbeat. She was not intimidated by Lord Ivlis in this state – well, not completely. It was a bit disheartening to see him so exasperated, yet she knew the real reason as to why this was the case. At least, she had a fairly good idea as to why he was so cruel in his words today. To her, it was a perfectly valid reason. Emalf and the others might not understand, but knowing what the catalyst was for this made Rieta feel both privileged and ashamed all at once.

Ivlis breathed out a heavy sigh, and her attention once more gravitated towards him. She watched as he ran his claws through his hair before it settled back in front of his face. Even with such an act, nary a hair looked out of place. Her ruby eyes remained on him for a little while, yet when he opened his golden eyes to see her there, she quickly averted her gaze. A slight hue of pink crossed her cheeks in embarrassment. Would he be upset that she had been staring at him without announcing her presence? She realized how foolish she had been to fail in such a simple duty.

Silence only greeted her as she kept her eyes on the bright red rug that connected where she was standing to his perch on his throne. He wasn’t saying a word to her, further causing the demon to feel a slight pressure in her chest. Was he angry with her for what she had done last night? She could readily admit she had overstepped her boundaries by barging in on him last night, yet a stubborn side argued with her that she was justified in her actions. Surely she had done what she had to fully serve him… right? Her eyes became more downcast as that thought began to wiggle around inside of her brain. Perhaps she really had been so foolish….

“Rieta.”

Her lord’s voice snapped her from her reverie, and she instinctually raised her head to meet his gaze once more. As intimidating as it might be to look him in the eyes at this moment, her loyalty would never waver. In a way, she was thankful he had finally called for her to pull her from the self-doubting. Moving forward, Rieta did her best to lift her feet so they would not shuffle across the rug like some child, yet her legs felt quite heavy and weak all at the same time. Clasping her long claws in front of her body, she carefully yet respectfully made her way forward, stopping a few feet in front of his throne.

_Just like old times…._

She stood there for a moment, her eyes locked onto his. His gaze never wavered, nor did hers, yet even she could sense that he wanted to tear his eyes away. Was he angry with her? Humiliated? A combination of both? The unknowing ate at her, yet Rieta breathed in deeply through her nostrils to steady herself. Her lungs full of fresh air, she steadily exhaled through parted lips ever so softly as she questioned, “Yes, Lord Ivlis?”

“I’m going to need help with that stack of documents – the ones on the corner of my desk. Please organize them accordingly.” His tone remained fairly flat and dry, yet she could see he was genuinely trying to make an effort to remain somewhat… kind. Her heart ached for him to see him this way.

Just like old times… yet somewhat more potent.

“Rieta?”

Ivlis’s voice snapped her back to reality, and she blinked a few times to gather her thoughts. She quickly nodded in response to his request. “Y – Yes, Lord Ivlis.” She gripped her right hand a bit more tightly to keep her focus remained on him and not into her dirtying thoughts. “I will get on that right away.”

Ivlis stared at her for a moment, as if his eyes were searching for some sort of disparity in her words and actions. Seemingly satisfied that he had found none, Ivlis nodded, his gaze once more returning off towards his right. For a few seconds, Rieta could not help but ponder just what was going on in his mind. She could only imagine the inner turmoil he was experiencing. It was not her place to doubt, but how she longed to take away his pain, his confusion, that slight frown on his lips.

All she really wanted was for Lord Ivlis smile….

Taking the silence as her cue to begin her faithful duties, Rieta gave a final nod towards Ivlis before turning on her heel. Her legs and feet felt cold despite the warmth of the flames in the room. Be that as it may, Rieta trudged forward, ready to perform her tasks with as much aplomb as she could muster. She soon found herself arriving at the double doors to exit the chamber. Had the walk down always been this long?

“Rieta.”

As she raised her right hand up to push open the door, she heard a soft yet commanding locution; the perfect blend of the two sides to Lord Ivlis. Turning to look to wards her left, Rieta noticed how his gaze was still looking off towards his right directly at the stone wall. Of course, she knew he was not fascinated by such a thing; rather, he was once more determining what to say.

“I want you to forget what you saw last night.” 

Such a statement gave her pause, her hand poised a few centimeters in front of the door. Forget… what she had seen? How she wished it was that simple. If she could block out the memory of what she had witnessed, what she had felt, what she had heard – a veritable dream come true. Although, part of her was somewhat relieved she had witnessed this. In a way, it made her feel a bit closer to Ivlis and the pain he kept locked inside; things he never spoke of to anyone else. Nevertheless, if it was her lord’s command, she would do what she could to obey.

Ivlis continued on. “No matter what you heard or saw, it… doesn’t mean anything.”

A lie.

She knew right away that was a fabrication of any truth even if he tried to make his voice sound confident. Her lord he may be, but even someone such as herself could see when he was lying. The depth of his voice, the creased lines around his eyes and mouth – they all indicated that despite the words from his lips, Ivlis was going to be ruminating on these “worthless” thoughts for quite some time. Truthfully, she knew that what he had said was only platitudes to comfort her. A cliché thing, really; to tell someone that something held no meaning to have them cease mulling it over while they would inevitably be the hypocrite entertaining these notions. This alone was enough to bring stinging tears to her eyes. Even in his puzzled state, Lord Ivlis was thinking about others more than himself.

How undeserving she was for any kind of mercy like this.

Blinking back any semblance of tears, Rieta found herself gathering saliva into her own dry mouth as she agreed, “Yes, my lord.” With a heavy rock weighing on her heart, Rieta slowly made her way through the large door back into the hallway. In a way, she wondered if Emalf would be outside waiting for her to see if he could get any feedback from her on what was bother Mr. Ivlis today. Thankfully, the mauve-haired man was nowhere to be seen; a blessing, really, as she was not sure she had enough capacity to handle more questions that could unleash a dam of sentiments. Crackling flames were the only sounds that greeted her. In a way, it was both comforting and annoying.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Rieta let out a heavy sigh, hoping to ease some of the pressure in her chest. It helped if ever so moderately, yet it was enough to clear some of the fog from her brain. Tumultuous as her feelings might currently be, she could not allow such a predicament stop her from serving her lord with even something as trivial as paperwork.

Rieta began to make her way past the throne room to the nearby office. Once more the walk seemed a bit longer than normal, yet this time she knew the reason as to why.

For all her internal criticisms that Ivlis would be a hypocrite for telling her to forget last night’s events, she knew that she was just as guilty for she would also be playing the same role. Even if he had told her to forget such things, she knew that she could not and would not.

Even after all the decades that they had missed together, some things really never changed, did they? 

_Just like old times_ , Rieta thought to herself as she entered the already open door to his office.

Perhaps the monotony of documents would soothe her wandering guilt, though something told her that such familiar tasks would not quite take away the creeping, aching nostalgia.


	13. Tiny Smiles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As work picks up irl thanks to the apocalypse slowly fading away, I am once more so sorry to keep you all waiting on these series. Plus, my brain gets highly distracted with several other things and ideas, so there is that. XD
> 
> That being said, I still have quite a few plans on the way I am taking this series to its eventual finale. I hope you will enjoy the ride in the meantime. Love you all, and God bless! <3

Days progressed as normal as they could in the Flame world. Rieta faithfully continued her duties in whatever Lord Ivlis needed. Be it involving documents, meetings, or work around the castle, Rieta tried to focus her mind on what she knew was the best thing for this kingdom and herself. It was not up to her to do the cooking or chores, yet she found herself enthralled with such activities. In a way, it felt just like past times, and such reminders filled her heart with a warmth that could not quite be explained in words. Plus, it aided her to keep her thoughts elsewhere. If she was ingrained in the busywork of diplomatic assistance or keeping an eye on Poemi and Licorice, it left her with little time to dwell on more recent events.

Nevertheless, Rieta caught herself at random times throughout the day thinking back on what she had seen that night when Satanick had invaded Ivlis’s space. It still perturbed her that such a man was so callous to have tossed her aside like some ragdoll, though she now could shrug this off. After all, she had been through much worse fights in her life. However, to be reminded of her faded strength thanks to being imprisoned inside that lamp was a bit crushing. Rieta had once taken pride in that she was quite strong and capable to fight alongside her lord; now, she felt like a husk of her former self.

That was why she determined to do everything she could in her power to serve Ivlis once more. Decades may have changed life as she knew it, but the one thing that would be a constant was her devotion to one man, and one man alone.

Rieta took pleasure in the mundane, and she caught herself smiling every now and then. Whether it be with more television nights with Emalf, Poemi, and Licorice, or with preparing a simple meal, Rieta found herself once more settling into a routine. It truly had been such a long time since she could feel like this….

Best of all was when she caught glimpses of Ivlis’s own smile. It was never quite large or noticeable, as he typically kept a stoic expression most of the time as if deep in thought. However, when she did see the corners of his mouth turn upwards even by a little bit, she could feel a warmth flood her body. She supposed it had been such a long time for many things, but this was by far the most precious to her. Of course, Ivlis never seemed to notice that he was smiling, nor did he thankfully catch Rieta staring at him when these moments would take place. Night fall was quickly becoming her favorite time of the day since this seemed to be the reoccurring time frame when Ivlis would smile. Licorice certainly was a “Mama’s boy” with how he frequently asked to be tucked in to bed at night. Watching from afar, Rieta would peek beyond the door frame to catch glimpses of Ivlis. Once Licorice was fast asleep, Ivlis stood up from the edge of the bed to look down at his son; that was when she was granted the tiniest hint of a smile from her lord during these busy periods. Even Poemi begged for such things these days, much to Rieta’s surprise; the once “toy” loving demon was now much more docile. Rieta figured it was thanks to the addition of the younger sibling now in the household.

Ah, that…. That was right….

That child’s father was the one thorn that kept poking its way into their lives. Day after day, week after week – Satanick kept coming around more and more frequently ever since that night. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but Rieta felt as if she was seeing this man a little too much lately. Every so often, Rieta would be on about her business only to come across this man. The first instance was him simply sitting on the sofa in the foyer. Her breath hitched in her throat, and Satanick turned to look over his shoulder to the source of this light noise. His right arm was draped across the back of the couch, and he smirked upon seeing her coming down the hallway.

“Well, well,” he began, the grin never fading from his face. “We meet again.”

An obvious ploy at “faking” innocence; Rieta would not even dignify herself to respond to him. Pressing her lips tightly together, she turned on her heel to remove herself from the area. She feared that the longer she stayed in his presence, the more disgusted she would become. It was not uncommon for him to show up nowadays, but it sickened her that this stranger would barge in like he owned the place. In all fairness, she supposed he was not quite a stranger to the others, but for her, he would remain as such. His light chuckle followed her as she shuffled off to anywhere else in the castle that did not include him.

Avoiding Satanick was becoming harder and harder each time. If he was not stopping by to visit Licorice, he was most certainly there to harass Ivlis. Some days his whines to the flame devil only aggravated Rieta as she could hear him complaining to Ivlis how he was being ignored. Of course, Ivlis would retort and tell him to knock it off – that he was annoying – yet it never made a difference to that persistent demon. He continued popping up anywhere and everywhere he seemed to get the chance. She did not understand this mentality and mindset. Just how self-entitled could one person be?! What further stumped her was why some days the man came around and seemed so “lovey dovey” towards Ivlis, and others he boldly took some matters into his own hands.

One day in particular stood out in the forefront of her mind.

Walking down the hall, she had first heard the heated whisper of her lord as he hissed out, “Quit it!” Of course, she already suspected what she would see as she rounded the corner. Sure enough, further down the hall, Satanick had once more appeared in Ivlis’s presence. This time, Satanick had Ivlis backed into the wall. His hands on either side of Ivlis’s head, the taller devil smirked down at the slightly shorter one as Ivlis kept his eyes locked onto his. Even from this distance, Rieta could see Ivlis’s reddened face, the somewhat glowing hue in his hair, and his gritted teeth. Her eyes narrowed as she watched in somewhat heated fury that this scum could so brazenly come into Ivlis’s home and take charge.

Despite her anger, Rieta simply stood where she was, her eyes locked on the scene in front of her. How she longed to go to Ivlis’s aid again, but she knew that was a futile effort. If anything, it would only serve as another catalyst for Ivlis to get hurt again. Inner turmoil churned within her, but she remained where she was. The nerves in her body twitched to move – to do something! – yet she forced her feet to plant on the linoleum floor.

Noticing Satanick had moved, Rieta watched as the man moved his hands to Ivlis’s body. His left arm snaked around Ivlis’s back, pulling him in so their hips touched. His right hand now cradled Ivlis’s chin. Rieta suspected what was coming, yet it still surprised her to watch Satanick boldly moved in for a kiss. She practically gasped when she noticed Ivlis’s eyes widen and his body naturally tense up from the sudden move. Pressing her lips tightly together, Rieta found herself clenching her long claws together as she balled up her hands. Part of her felt worried for Ivlis’s state of mind to be cornered like prey. Just how was he feeling about such things? It then made her ill to realize that this had been going on for quite some time. Not this particular moment, but every one that had led up to this.

Ivlis was truly trapped in the snare of this man, wasn’t he?

She imagined so, but as her gaze remained locked on them, Rieta watched as Ivlis’s eyes went from one of shock to hooded behind his lowering eyelids. Soon, his golden eyes shut, and the only color remaining on his face was that of his red cheeks.

Rieta had been so focused on Ivlis that she did not realize that the other man was now watching her. She gulped back her surprise, though she should have expected someone would eventually have seen her even if she was just slightly around the corner. Satanick’s amethyst-like eyes stared at her from his periphery as he kept his lips locked onto Ivlis’s. Even with his mouth occupied, it appeared that he gave a smirk over towards her – as if to silently rub her face in the fact that Ivlis was “his property.” A somewhat nauseating feeling creeped into the pit of her stomach as Satanick taunted her with this unbeknownst to Ivlis. All the while, her lord’s eyes remained closed as Satanick tightened his arms around the thin man, further pushing his mouth onto his in what seemed to be a passionate kiss. Feeling as if she was now an interloper rather than a concerned observer, Rieta tried to pry her eyes away from the scene. Her ruby gaze drifted off, only to subconsciously yank back towards them, as if inspecting to make sure that what she was seeing was real. Ivlis’s tiny moan in his throat was all the evidence she needed to know that facts did not lie, nor did they care about her feelings.

Perhaps this devilish man was simply skilled in these realms, leaving her lord with little choice but to naturally respond. At the very least, that’s what she liked to think. Rieta hated the idea that perhaps Ivlis could possibly like it….

Insane. This was pure insanity to think that such an insufferable man could have that effect on her lord. Yes, Ivlis was a hot head and somewhat oblivious to things, but even he could not fall for such things....

Could he?

To even question his decision or choices was blasphemous.

“Rieta.”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Rieta blinked a few times to clear her head as she focused. At the foot of the throne, Rieta stared up at Ivlis as he looked down at her. His sunburst eyes remained set on her, and his expression showed no hint of any emotion. Impassive, stoic – this was the typical side that others saw of her lord. She supposed that only Satanick and her only ever saw the other sides of Ivlis….

She quickly shook her head to dislodge such absurdity. How foolish to put herself on the same level as that trash! “Yes, Lord Ivlis?” she spoke. Now was not the time to become distracted; Lord Ivlis had called her here for one reason or another, and she would oblige to his whims. He had been awfully scarce today, leaving her to fret if everything was okay. She could not help but fear that Satanick had come over and stolen him away. A huge wave of relief washed over her when Emalf sent for her, saying that Ivlis wanted to see her in the throne room. Figuring it was for another meeting, she followed Emalf down the hall to the familiar large doors. However, the demon commented about heading out for a bite to eat now that his duty was done, and he “peaced out.”

Now, Rieta stood here at the foot of Ivlis’s throne, awaiting what he had to say to her. Her heart softly beat in her chest as she anticipated what the trouble could be if he had only called for her and no one else.

“Rieta, come here a moment.”

No stranger to his commanding voice, Rieta obediently moved up the few stairs to get closer to him, halting a step below him. To move any closer would be too bold of her. “Yes, Lord Ivlis?” she questioned.

A brief look away from her, Rieta noticed a small twitch across his facial features. He appeared to be preoccupied or disturbed about something. His next words did not help her determine the root cause of the problem either.

“There’s… something I need to do….”

Visible confusion could not be hid as it spread across her features at such an odd request. “My lord?” she curiously asked, unsure what else to say to this statement. Despite her confusion, she craned her neck back slightly to stare directly up at him. Her heartbeat accelerated being in such close proximity to him. 

Silence passed between them for a moment, and Rieta swallowed the saliva that was gathering in her mouth. She should not ask him further questions. She could clearly see from his expression that he was seriously in deep thought. She did not wonder for much longer, as she now gasped when she felt Ivlis’s hand on her left wrist. She was then yanked upwards and forward up the final step. Keeping her feet as planted as she could from tripping, Rieta allowed Ivlis to yank her in between his legs. Her knees hit the edge of the throne, but nothing that harmed her. She barely had time to catch her breath thanks to his next move.

Ivlis pushed his mouth onto Rieta’s, and her ruby eyes widened in shock. She had silently, ever so slightly pondered if he had been planning on something like this with how he had been acting, but to have him actually follow through on it was still a surprise. Even now, her body reacted to his soft lips and the way his hands gripped her upper arms. She could have melted into him if allowed; in truth, she would have loved to do so. Anything for her lord if it was be his will.

Raising her claws up, Rieta placed them upon his shoulders to gently push him away. His lips left hers for a moment, and she took that chance to take a breath in before he dove back in. His forcefulness startled her, and she once more pushed, this time a bit rougher than she was accustomed to. Rieta wrenched her mouth away from his to gasp out, “L – Lord Ivlis!”

Still, Ivlis kept his hands locked on her. He pulled her in as close as physically possible, and his face buried into the crook of her left shoulder. To keep her balance, Rieta placed her knees on the edge of the throne, practically kneeling on it. Another taboo thing she should not have done, but one that Ivlis did not seem to care about in this moment. Rieta could feel his hot breath on her skin, and she shuddered in response. Deeply, Rieta wanted to relax and melt into his arms. To once more let Ivlis hold her, kiss her, caress her…. It would be another dream come true.

His lips trialed soft kisses over the left side of her neck and shoulder. Her legs felt weak and warm, and she was grateful to be in a position where she would not fall down. Rieta found herself tipping her head back a bit, exposing more of her neck to him, and her eyes began to flutter closed. For a while, all she could feel was his tender mouth, and she did not mind the bits of wetness he left behind. Already her head felt heavy, but she tried to keep her senses aware. What would happen if Emalf or one of the kids came in?! She knew it was highly embarrassing, but right now, all she wanted to feel was Ivlis. Wetness from his mouth and eyes were the few things in the world that could make her hot and cold all at the same time.

Wait, his eyes?

Cracking open her own, Rieta lowered her chin a bit, yet all she could see was the top of his dark gray hair among his curved, red horns. She could not tell for sure, yet among his kisses, she could feel another liquid dripping onto her skin every now and then, running down her collarbone. Rieta opened her mouth, unsure what to say at such a thing. Why… was he crying?

Ivlis must have noticed how she had stiffened in his arms, as he gave a sniffle before pushing his mouth harder onto her skin, as if to conceal this. But it was too late; Rieta could not allow this to continue on any longer. Even if her body might love him and his affection, she could not – in good conscious – allow this to go on when something was clearly wrong.

“Lord Ivlis,” she began. Her voice remained as steady as she could make it while her heart pounded in her chest and her breathing was becoming raspier. When he did not respond, she lightly squeezed his shoulders with her claws. “Lord Ivlis, please stop.”

If he had heard her, she was unaware as Ivlis continued on, his own claws tightening around her triceps as his palms dug into her biceps. He opened his mouth to gently rake his teeth over her shoulder, but a slight, choked sob escaped from his mouth when he did so. Rieta’s back arched as she let out a light gasp in surprise.

Yes, she wanted this to continue on – for Ivlis to ravish her – but not like this.... Not when he was clearly in some sort of distress.

“Lord Ivlis, stop!”

Rieta amazed even herself when she uttered these words. Her eyes widened as did Ivlis’s as he pulled back from her. His hands still gripped her upper arms, though they slowly began to loosen. She could immediately see a look of regret cross his face. So tangible was it that Rieta feared what was going on in his head. His golden eyes pooled with tears, making them appear glassy as more leaked from the corners of his eyes. As they trailed down his cheeks, he gritted his teeth. His cheeks were pink, and Rieta could not tell if from the small make out session or from holding back a dam of emotions. Powerful. Poignant. The sadness was keenly written across Ivlis’s face, and Rieta could feel her heart squeeze seeing him in this state.

Rieta opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. It seemed Ivlis did not mind that, however, and he simply lowered his head as if ashamed.

As Rieta watched a tear drop down onto his lap, he whispered out in a somewhat choked voice, “I… I’m sorry… Rieta.”

His tone held so much confusion and sorrow in it that Rieta could never comprehend. The warmth that she had been experiencing earlier was now fading as she could feel her heart crying out to comfort him.

That is what she determined to do.

Moving her hands off of his shoulders, Rieta placed her left palm behind his head and her right hand behind his back. Without permission, Rieta took it upon herself to pull Ivlis towards her. Cradling his head to where his lips had previously been, Rieta simply held him. Any liquid that now soaked into her skin she did not mind. His loosened hands that clung to her arms gradually slipped down her frame to his knees. His body was stiff, and even Rieta could tell that he was tightly gripping his knees as if to keep himself stable.

Ivlis was the first one to break the silence. “Rieta,” he mumbled against her shoulder. “I… I don’t know… what to do….” He swallowed back whatever tears he had left in his throat to reduce the amount he was spilling onto her. In return, Rieta offered him as much stability as she could while her claws methodically stroked his hair, hoping to provide him so consolation.

No further sounds passed between them, but that was fine with Rieta. Outwardly, she was keeping composed, yet internally, she was fighting her back her own tears that burned at the back of her eyes. What did Ivlis mean by these words? She could not be fully sure with how heightened her emotions were. Despite them, Rieta knew one thing was for sure.

Somehow – someway – she wanted to bring those little smiles from nighttime to Ivlis’s face all the time.


End file.
